Strawberry Lemon Kiss
by kiss.pink
Summary: [Arc One/Sweet] He was the only son of a notorious criminal. She was the only daughter of a renowned police chief. With families who were sworn enemies, they were destined to despise one another. But destiny is weird, and love is even weirder, so Natsu and Lucy found themselves accidentally falling for each other anyways. Hard. [AU]
1. prologue : dark chocolate

**_Disclaimer_**— I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility...with...wait...— okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me...

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Blurred in the memories, the number of my tears are countless like the stars

— Kiss Shita Mama Sayonara by TVXQ (love this song so hard)

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|_July 7th, 2008 _— _8-Island_|

"Let's break up." His whispered words were so quick, his tone so steady, that she could have sworn they were rehearsed.

His eyes struggled to meet her own, quick glances revealing none of their usual warmth. His face was expressionless, his normally care-free, toothy grin now a tight frown. She had never seen him like this. He had never acted like this. Not towards her, anyways.

She was his best friend, after all— his _fiancée_.

This wasn't him. Something was wrong. Something strange had to come up for him to suddenly feel...for him to suddenly say— "Did you hear me? I said I want to end this, Luce," —no...this wasn't right. She had to be hearing things.

His impatient sigh snapped her out of her thoughts. Her clammy hands had become fists in her lap, her bottom lip beginning to sting as her teeth gnawed at it. She blinked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "W-what do you mean?" she managed to say.

Another sigh, shaky fingers running through his salmon locks. He leaned back in his seat and grumbled, "you know what I mean. What we are, what _this _is," he motioned his hand between the two of them. "isn't going to work anymore. Our families are sworn enemies, Luce. My father wants you dead. My men have already tried to get rid of Jenny. How could—"

"T-that...I don't care about that!" she interrupted. Her chair scraped against the tiled floors as she stood. "If this is why you called me out tonight then just forget it! I've already heard enough of this from Father. I don't need to hear it from you too. _Not you_."

He rushed out of his seat when she began to walk away. He roughly grabbed her quivering arm, spinning her around to face him.

The angered, disconnected look in his eyes would be something she'd never forget.

"Are you stupid or do you want to die?" he shouted, giving her shoulders a firm shake. Her hands flew up to her ears, eyes squeezing shut as she childishly attempted to block him out. "Listen to me, Luce. Fucking _listen _to me! We can't be together anymore. There'll only be more problems if we stay together! Don't you understand?!"

"I don't want to understand!" she whined, heavy tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. "I don't care about the future, Natsu! I just want to stay with you! I...I love you. I love you s-so much that I don't even think I can breathe without you! Natsu, I can't—"

"I don't feel the same way anymore."

Her heart sunk at his harsh confession. Her throat felt dry and the tears she had barely kept at bay instantly broke free. A choked whimper escaped her lips. "What?" she gasped.

She reached out to grab his arms, her grip tight as she searched his eyes for something, _anything_ that could calm her now frenzied nerves. That could assure her this wasn't happening. This all had to be a joke— no, a _nightmare_. She was sure that, in a few seconds, she would open her eyes and see a snoring Natsu beside her like she had every other morning.

She found nothing of the sort.

"Honestly, I probably never loved you, Luce," he continued. More tears fell, her heart dropping even further. "With everything that's happened, everything we've gone through...I was probably just confused. I mean, we were so young when we started dating. I don't think either of us meant for things to get this serious."

"Then why? Why would you keep me around for so long? W-why would you _propose_...?"

She was so lost, _so hurt_. The more he spoke, the more questions ran through her head. It was just yesterday he had told her he'd be beside her no matter what. Their parents' conflict wasn't their own, he'd said. He'd love her until the day he died. What happened? How could he do this to her now?

When she pressed on for an answer, for maybe even an _excuse_, he looked frustrated. Not apologetic— why? Not guilty—why?

But frustrated.

_Why_?!

Her legs gave out beneath her, the bruising hold she had on his sleeves the only thing supporting her as she tried to ignore the whispers and stares of the other customers. _Ah, a breakup?_ She couldn't take them. _She's begging? How pathetic. _She had to get out of there. _Isn't that the Dragneel kid? _The air was stifling. _Poor girl. _She felt sick. _Think he'd want my number? _She had to run away. _Spineless girls like her should just die. _She had to escape!

"Luce, a-are you okay? You don't look so—" he began but before he could finish, she was dashing out of the restaurant, her purse and coat long forgotten. "Luce? Luce!"

It was a rainy, breathtakingly cold night and as she ran, the relentless wind burned her skin. Yet she couldn't feel a thing. She faintly heard Natsu's calls of her name as she stepped into her car. She had already started her engine when he had finally reached her window. His fists wildly pounded the glass, eyes wide with panic. "Lucy! Lucy, stop! Open the door, Lucy! I— _please_!"

She paid him no mind, pulling off and leaving him behind to gawk at her retreating car.

Her chest hurt, her head hurt.

She couldn't think, she couldn't see.

She couldn't focus her hectic mind on anything but _him_. His smile. His eyes. His embrace. His kisses. They wouldn't leave her mind! They taunted her, mocked her as she continued to carelessly drive.

The flashes of memories, they only deepened the wound. They reminded her, shoved through her skull: Natsu didn't want her anymore. He didn't— "_never_" —loved her. It was all an accident? A mistake. Everything was a lie. Her happiness was founded on deceit. He was her world but she meant absolutely nothing to him. Nothing.

Nothing...

_Nothing_!

"Lucy, no! Stop!"

He had crushed her.

The entirety of the heart she had lovingly given him, the soul she had thought was intertwined with his— he had mercilessly _crushed_ them.

So when a blinding light obstructed her teary vision, the sound of loud horns filling her ears, and when a searing pain coursed throughout her entire body, she embraced it. The feeling of glass tearing at her skin, the feeling of cold metal breaking what felt like every one of her bones, they were all welcomed.

_Please let me die..._she mentally begged to no one in particular. She watched, numb, as her never-ending tears mixed with blood. Her blood. _I don't know what I'll do without Natsu...if I live. Let me die. P-please, let...me..._

.

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一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

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**_Author's Note: _**My baby (read: my precious tablet) died last week so it'll be a lot of working writing anything new. Thought: why not just upload a random story I've been working on to waste time? Until I'm done with chapter five of PMO (which I'll start working on **right now**, I swear), I'll just give everyone this story. Some might not like it because the genre is completely different and _definitely _not as light-hearted. But hey, that's life.

Yep.

Anyways, stay tuned for chapter one (since this is a prologue) and review if you wanna! Also, please try to ignore my constant abuse of the em dash (this thing: —). I freaking love using it even when it's not called for. It just looks so fancy. English teachers beware.

_chu~_


	2. chapter one : caramel

**_Disclaimer_**— I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility...with...wait...— okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me...

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When you close your eyes and dream, your revolution has started

— Creation by JYJ

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|_July 3rd, 2005 _— _three years earlier_|

"Father!"

The older man's eyes widened at the sharp cry. He spun around, crazily searching the crowd of passengers to find the owner of the voice he had missed so very much. When his focus finally landed on a bobbing head of blonde rushing towards him, he opened arms wide, preparing himself for— "_oh my goodness_, Lucy! What have you been eating?" he chuckled, tightening the hold he now had on his daughter.

She giggled. "Please, Father. What about you?" Eyeing his rounded tummy, she gave him a playful slap. "Mother has been feeding you well, I see?"

Taking her hand in his own, her father guided her out of the busy airport. On the way to his awaiting car, they reminisced about old times, updating one another on the latest celebrity scandals and current events. They laughed over Lucy's comical adventures overseas and her father's useless (as he had called them) employees' screwups. Finally slipping into the leather back seats, her father nodded at the driver who was busy sending Lucy a surprised glance.

"Ms. Heartphilia!" The driver merrily greeted as he started the car. "It's been so long. My, you've grown quite a bit. I remember when you could only reach my waist!"

"Well, yeah. I haven't seen you since I was seven, old man," Lucy said with a snort, the smile on her face somehow still able to widen. "I've missed you a ton, Mr. Conbolt."

"I probably would've been able to see you if Lord Stingy himself, _Jude_ over there, brought me on some of his visits."

"Yep. My father is a terrible man who only cares about himself," Lucy beamed, batting her eyelashes in mock innocence when her father glared at her. She nudged his side, laughing at his tense expression. "Aw, don't get grumpy now. Instead, tell me more about how you got promoted!"

As she had expected, Jude's face brightened at the mention of his well-deserved promotion. "Chief of police," he sighed dreamily. "You don't know how much nonsense I had to deal with in order to finally get that _glorious_ title."

Lucy nodded, snuggling into her father's arms. "Twenty years of being Batman must've been super stressful for little ol' you," she chortled. "At least now you can just sit behind a desk and boss people around. You've got the good life."

Jude ignored her, too caught up in his memories of the many years before he received his medal and firm handshake from the mayor himself. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses as _his_ face began to swim through his thoughts. "It took me years to find that fucking bastard. I deserve to be where I am now just as he deserves to be behind bars."

The seventeen year old flinched at the pent-up anger laced with each of her father's words. Usually a soft-spoken man with few things that irritated him, Lucy frowned at his abnormally colorful choice of words. She scooted away from him, lips pursed in concern. "Father, you talked non-stop about that man the last time I spoke to you. Is catching him how you got promoted? Who is he? You never told me before..."

He didn't answer a single one of her questions. He simply continued to gaze out of the car window, fists clenched, watching in a daze as blurred buildings and homes quickly passed by. Jude hummed when Lucy began to poke his cheek, finally snapping out of his stupor. "H-huh? What was that, darling?"

She frowned. "Nothing. I was just asking if...you would let me see your new office?"

"U-uh...oh. Sure, I don't see why not!" Jude said with a smile. He looked towards the rear-view mirror where Macao was eyeing him oddly. "Take us to the po-dep."

"The _what_?"

"That's not how lingo works, Father." Lucy croaked, covering her face in shame with a shake of her head. "He means the _police department_." Macao nodded dumbly, whispering an _ah _as he made a sharp U-turn.

Jude cackled, shoving Lucy lightly when she refused to look at him. "At least we weren't in public this time."

"Thank _god_ for that, huh?"

When the car began to drown in their laughter once more, even Macao had to crack a smile at the reunited pair. With one of the city's most dangerous gang members in jail, his recent promotion and his daughter's return, Jude's rapidly growing happiness seemed invincible against the world.

Little did the trio know, things were about to change. For better or for worse, no one would ever truly be able to answer that.

* * *

Bullets soared through the broken windows, zooming past a shivering Lucy. She had hid under her father's desk as soon as his secretary came crashing into the room, panting as she attempted to warn them of the impending danger. A loud crack had bounced off the walls, the defenseless woman's body falling limp before a frozen Jude, her blood puddling around his feet.

Lucy screamed at the sight, never witnessing someone's death— someone's _murder _—with her own eyes. Jude quickly pushed her into hiding, his hand reaching for the two guns he kept in a locked drawer.

Frightened screams could be heard outside of the office. A hoard of men burst onto the floor, guns firing randomly into any direction and Lucy could've sworn she heard a few of them _joking_ about it. "Ever heard of aim, Fullbuster?" one man had jeered. She wanted to vomit at his nonchalant tone as the employee's screams eventually faded into nothing.

_They're all dead...aren't they? _she thought in disbelief, holding back a chocked sob.

"Ever heard of shut the hell up, Redfox?" Another man— Fullbuster? —replied. "These idiots. They're a police department but they don't have any guns on them?"

"I doubt they expected to be ambushed on such a nice evening," the first man said.

A new voice suddenly entered the scene, interrupting the pair's disturbing conversation. "They should've expected it," he growled, his voice raspy and deep. His heavy steps could be heard all the way in her father's office. They were slow. Wary, cautious. Just with the sound of his walking, Lucy could tell he was experienced. In what? She most likely didn't want know. "After they arrested Elfman, they should've _damn _well expected this. The fact that they didn't annoys me."

More footsteps.

"Boss, I think we're done here. We killed all of them."

"Yeah, I double-tapped to make sure."

From his humorless chuckle, the third voice was clearly not convinced. "No," he countered. "there's one more left. The real target."

"Me." It was her father who had spoken, the clocking of a gun following his words. Lucy held back a gasp, leaning forward to peek past the desk and to the open doorway where Jude stood. She gulped. Her father had never looked so serious.

The "boss" fellow guffawed at the sight of the middle-aged man, coughing when he began to choke on his laughs. The sound of his steps grew closer— _too close _—and Lucy could only watch as he fearlessly pushed past her father and into the office where she nervously hid. Jude let him, his eyes shooting towards her before looking back at the intruder.

"Judy, just who I was looking for! How have you been? The office looks great!" His tone was cheery and sweet. Lucy shuffled away and into a ball when he plopped down on the chair in front of her, thanking whoever was up there that he didn't see her or hear her surprised squeak. "Y'know, my dad has a office like this. A bit bigger, though. More awards too. He said if I can avenge Elfman's arrest, I could have it. I've always wanted an office."

"What the hell do you want, Dragneel?" Jude roared, aiming his gun straight at _Dragneel's_ head. The two men outside of the office came barging in, their guns drawn, but with just a shake of his head, this _Dragneel_ guy was able to hold them off. "I doubt you just came here to talk about offices, boy. Now either a, answer me— b, fucking **die** or c, wait until my backup arrives so I can throw you in jail like I did your buddy Strauss."

At the mention of his comrade, Dragneel abruptly stood. No longer smiling, he hissed, "great last words, Judy. I'm sure your wife will be happy to know you didn't mention her at all before you had a million of my bullets embedded in your skull."

Jude scoffed. "You think you can scare me, Natsu?" _So Natsu is his name..._Lucy thought. "I've dealt with plenty of criminals like you. Little brats thinking they run the place because their fathers are bloodthirsty gangsters with a lot of money. I'll have you know I've either locked those types up or killed them. Which will it be for you?"

It was quiet for a second and Lucy was _sure_ Natsu was going to surrender (only the suicidal or the stupid dared to go against her intimidating father). It had definitely ended. But when the boy suddenly kneeled, smiling brightly as he looked at her beneath the desk, Lucy knew...

"I wonder what this blondie thinks will happen."

This was only just the beginning.

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一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

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**_Author's Note: _**Working on chapter six of PMO now so here's chapter one of SLK to stall. I'm wondering how I should post the order of this story. Like, should I switch between past-past (this chapter) and regular past (the car accident from the prologue) or should I just continue on with the past-past until it catches up with the car accident scene? I think I should do the second one. The first one sounds a bit complicated/confusing, even for me. Ah, but why am I writing my thoughts out like this? Haha, sorry. I wanna say thank you all for reviewing, following and favoriting. You all are so wonderful.

Leluciana37! Your review scared the crap out of me at first! But then I kept reading and couldn't help but smile. About Secret Garden, I've been thinking on continuing that...but I completely forgot where I wanted to go with its plot. I wrote it about two years ago and can honestly not remember. Wanna give me some ideas? Anyways, thank you for reading my stories. TT_TT And no need to worry about your English, darling. Trust me, it's _my_ mother language and I **suck** at speaking/writing it. Your review was fine. :D

As always, friends, stay tuned for chapter two and review if you wanna!

_chu~_


	3. chapter two : cookie dough

**_Disclaimer_**— I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility...with...wait...— okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me...

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I appear like wind. I disappear like smoke, tricking your eyes  
I approach like a petal. I burrow like a thorn, aiming at your heart

— Danger by Taemin

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_Beautiful_, is what he wanted to say as soon as he set his eyes on her. It had been a while since someone had left him so awestruck, the last person being his _mother_ of all people. He felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her, her shimmering blonde hair tied into a childish ponytail, chocolate eyes wide in surprise and...

_...fear_?

Right, he had just threatened to kill her and her father.

_Right_.

He grabbed the girl by her wrist, dragging her out from under the wooden desk and into the limelight. She hissed under his tight hold, whimpering when his arm wrapped itself around her neck. The chilled metal of his gun poked at her temple, sending shivers down her spine. With her back pressed against him, Natsu shivered as well...but for completely different reasons. _Oh my god, I am such a perv._

"D-Dragneel..." Jude—dammit, Natsu found himself forgetting that old man even existed—stammered, inching closer to where his daughter was held hostage. He dropped his gun instantly, raising his hands in defense. "let her go. Please, my daughter has nothing to do with this."

The younger man ignored him, resisting the urge to nuzzle his face into Lucy's neck. She was stiff under his hold, nails digging into his forearm. "Judy," Natsu whispered, his warm breath hitting her skin. "I can't believe someone as fugly as you made something as..._nice_ as this. Should I keep her?" _Oh my god, I am **such **a perv._

Jude blanched. "Natsu, no. Release her now..." His order fell upon deaf, shamelessly distracted ears. When he could no longer take his defenseless Lucy's small cries of discomfort, Jude growled, pulling out the second gun he had hidden in his back pocket. "Get your filthy hands off of Lucy or I'll—"

"Shoot?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, pushing his weapon further against Lucy's head. "Go ahead. I have a shield anyways." He looked down at the quivering girl, smirking when she glared at him, obviously trying—yet adorably failing—to disguise her fear. _So Lucy is her name,_ he thought.

"Shit," came Fullbuster's hoarse exclamation. Situated by the window with his gun still drawn, he worriedly announced, "his backup's here!"

From across the room, Redfox rolled his eyes, angrily shoving his gun into his pocket. "Great. Just marvelous. We come here for one guy, a ton of spare time on our hands, and Natsu fucks it up with his annoying foreplay."

As much as he wanted to ignore his team mates and continue "getting to know" this _Lucy_ girl, Natsu couldn't help but frown at their warning. With one last glance at the blonde, he roughly pushed her towards her father. Jude sighed in relief, hugging his daughter tightly as if he had actually lost her. Walking towards the door in long strides, Fullbuster and Redfox right on his tail, Natsu called behind him, "yo Luce. Meet me at 8-Island this Thursday at nine. I'll buy you ice cream."

Lucy watched the trio run away after that, the tears clouding her vision beginning to fade as she registered his words. Turning to her father—who was red with steam coming out of ears—she numbly asked, "Father...did he just ask me out on a date?"

|_July 7th, 2005 _— _8-Island_|

Lucy felt humiliated as she waited for that _Natsu_ guy to show up to the designated meet-up place. Dressed in nothing but a light blue sundress and flip-flops, highly unwanted make-up caked onto her face, she tapped her foot impatiently— _daring_ that criminal to stand her up.

An "undercover mission", her father, his superiors and a few other men Lucy didn't care to identify had told her. After Natsu had escaped their clutches for the umpteenth time a few days before, they used his invitation to ice cream (which she was _sure_ was just a joke) as a way to catch him. How they could have fallen for such a thing, Lucy wasn't sure. No wonder it took them years to catch that Elfman fellow. No wonder they couldn't ever seem to find Natsu's hideout. _They were all idiots_!

Lucy glanced down at her prized Lion King watch—Timon and Pumbaa's characteristically dorky smiles doing nothing to brighten her mood—sucking her teeth when she realized she had only been waiting for a measly three minutes. Looking around, she recognized a few undercover police officers walking around as inconspicuously as possible. Though with how large their earpieces were, how awkwardly they walked and how _terrible_ their casual fashion was, Lucy knew their "inconspicuous" goal wasn't exactly being met.

Only a blind and deaf man with no sense wouldn't be able to see that they were clearly coppers ready to pounce.

"Luce!" The call of the disgustingly familiar nickname caused Lucy to turn to the source. To her right, she could see Natsu running towards her, an wide smile on his face. _Handsome_, is what she wanted to say as soon as he caught up with her, completely out of breath. She blinked, realizing how...friendly he looked when he wasn't thrusting a gun into her head. Lucy could only scrunch her nose at such thoughts.

"You're late," she noted, stiff under his..._soft_ gaze. No, that wasn't right. Just yesterday he had his men kill dozens of completely innocent people. He had tried to kill her, for Pete's sake! How embarrassing would it be if her father found out she thought he looked handsome and friendly and much _nicer_ than how she initially thought? Jude would probably collapse. But not before strangling her into a coma, of course.

"Or you're just early," was his response. He smirked. Lucy blushed, desperately trying to calm her racing—why was it even _racing_?—heart. "So...welcome to my most favorite restaurant _ever_!"

Before she could say a word, he had her by the wrist, pulling her into the infamously expensive 8-Island restaurant. The chefs were all the famous children of other famous chefs who were all the children of _other_ famous chefs. The same went for the architects, the designers and the suppliers. Lucy had never step foot into such a place—even the _oxygen_ made her wallet feel a few dollars lighter—how had scum like Natsu managed to dub this place his favorite?

"Two under Dragneel."

The doorman (or whatever the men who verified your reservations were called) didn't even need to look down at his list. He guided Lucy and Natsu to their seats _way_ back in a private booth where she was sure no one would hear her scream if she needed to. A pretty unsettling observation. The doorman gave Natsu a weird thumbs-up-wink combo and smiled warmly at Lucy before making his way back to his post. _Old man probably doesn't know how Natsu _really_ is,_ her mind reasoned bitterly.

From the corner of her eye, she could see two _inconspicuous _men waltz _inconspicuously_ into the restaurant a few seconds later, _inconspicuously_ flashing the doorman their badges. The elderly man shrugged, guiding them to a booth a bit too far away from where she was for Lucy's comfort.

"You think they'd learn to look less obvious," she heard Natsu say with a sigh. She jumped at the sound of his voice, _struggling_ to resist the urge to verbally agree with him. "Do they honestly think I can't see them? I'm not blind nor deaf and I'm pretty sure I have enough sense to know when I'm being followed."

Lucy remained silent, too afraid that the criminal—_yes, the criminal, Lucy. Please stop forgetting he's a criminal_, she mentally warned—would randomly shank her if she so much as opened her mouth. She shivered when his cool, ebony gaze focused on her.

"I'm not a bad guy. I'm only seventeen, what real harm could I ever do," he attempted to reassure. But the way he toyed with his butter knife didn't exactly help prove his statement. "if anything, it's your dad who's the bad guy."

At the mention of her father, Lucy's face hardened. She quickly pushed aside her fears as she finally spoke, eyes ablaze with anger. "_Excuse me?_" She enjoyed watching the big and bad Natsu flinch at her hiss. "Last time I checked, my father didn't barge into other people's workplaces and make a cemetery out of them!"

"Really?" He laughed. _What a nice laugh_, was Lucy's last stupid thought before she shook her head clear of them. "Funny you say that. How do you think Elfman got arrested in the first place, Luce?"

When she didn't answer, opting to simply cross her arms, he continued. "Innocent ol' Elfman was just trying to get some extra cash to support his family. He never fought, never killed, he just seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. None of my men even knew he was being sought after by the police. He never _did _anything. So when they came storming into his apartment, killing his mother who had tried prying them off of him, we were all shocked. They arrested him, creating false evidence to convict him. And now he's a poor sap locked away for god knows how long. Can you guess who was behind all of that, Luce? Who's now reaping the benefits of arresting a completely innocent man and murdering his mother?"

Anything she could have possibly wanted to say died down in her throat, stubbornness bubbling away into disbelief. It was when a small blue-haired waitress had placed two bowls of ice cream in front of them, smiling brightly, that Lucy witnessed her slipping Natsu a _gun. _The blonde could feel her brave front collapsing within seconds.

Before she could call out a warning to her father's oblivious subordinates, Natsu shoved a numbingly cold spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. _I freaking love chocolate_, her obviously disconnected brain squealed as Natsu yanked her out of her seat.

They moved quietly to some back door, somehow never catching the attention of the distracted, happily chattering **police** who were supposed to **protect **her. Lucy wanted to punch all of them.

"Thanks Levy." Natsu nodded to the blunette who gave him that same silly thumbs-up-wink thing in response.

_What's up with these people and their weird greetings?_ Lucy, still mindlessly savoring the sweet ice cream, looked at the petite girl as if she had grown five heads. But the waitress only forced a smile in her direction before skipping off into the bustling dining area.

Odd.

The warm feeling of fingers wrapping around her wrist snapped Lucy's eyes away from the retreating _Levy_. She looked up at Natsu, his wide grin reminding her of the two characters on her watch. "Hey, Luce," he said. "Let's forget we even had that conversation earlier, okay? Now that your dad's men are distracted, it's time to go to my _real_ favorite restaurant."

Lucy pulled the spoon from between her lips, eyes wide as she spluttered, "w-wait, are you..._k-kidnapping_ me?"

"Maybe." Such a vague, brief reply made Lucy feel sick.

So much for this stupid mission.

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一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**MORE STALLING! Don't mind me! Quick thanks to all who read, reviewed, followed and favorited~ you guys rock my socks off! And...errr, yeah. I'm kind of feeling itchy to continue writing from the car accident scene. Soooo the chapters that deal with how Nalu met/start dating/blah blah blah will probably last for only two-three more updates. Yay? For now, stay tuned for chapter three and review if you wanna!

_chu~_


	4. chapter three : cotton candy

**Disclaimer**—I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility with...wait—okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me.

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Everything stops for us, in that moment  
Let's meet again, one of these nights

— July 7th by Red Velvet

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|_July 7th, 2005_ — _Mira's Noodle Stand_|

_kid·nap (verb)_

_to take someone away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom_

Lucy frowned as she scanned the definition on her phone's screen. She glanced around at her surroundings (from the billows of steam floating from overheated stove tops, to the drunken men and chattering women surrounding her) before once again looking down at those daunting virtual words.

Illegally. By force. To obtain a ransom.

_This...can't be right_, she thought with narrowed eyes and tapped a few buttons to refresh the page. Did she make a typo? Was her connection poor? Was the search engine somehow broken? _That_ couldn't be the definition she was looking for, could it?

Lucy risked a glance to her left where Natsu was shoving a giant wad of ramen noodles down his throat.

Yeah no, there was no way. Because, if there was, that would mean the wild and positively insane pink-haired teen beside her _wasn't_ kidnapping her. Because, according to her stupid lying phone, being kidnapped was supposed to be a lot more...frightening than this. Yes, he had forced her to go on some weird pseudo-date with him for his own personal amusement (or to anger her already pissed off father, either one), had waved a gun around in her face, had gagged her with ice cream, _and _had taken her away from under her father's watch against her will, but…

"Hey, are you gonna eat that?" He pointed at her unfinished bowl of ramen with his chopsticks, mouth full and cheeks bulging.

She merely shook her head and pushed the steaming bowl towards him. He gave her a smile (or at least attempted to) and gladly dove his abused chopsticks into his sixth serving.

Yeah _no_, everything about this was wrong. She peeked down at her phone once again, and groaned when she realized the page still hadn't loaded. _Why must the internet on phones be so slow_, the blonde mentally cried. She flinched at all the missed calls and texts her father had sent her, and struggled to not reply to them. Five minutes after he'd dragged her away from 8-Island, Natsu explicitly warned her to not let anyone know where they were. That meant no phone calls, no texting, and basically no communication with her father whatsoever, "or else you'll really regret it, Luce."

Lucy was a brave girl. Heck, she'd gone to study overseas at the age of seven without her parents, had lived alone with a maid named Miyuki who was practically a robot with lungs and only appeared when called, and had basically been on her own for as long as she could remember. A boy around her age currently suffocating himself with noodles shouldn't intimidate her, he really shouldn't...

But he did anyways.

Because he wasn't just _any_ boy, Lucy had to keep reminding herself. He was a boy who could kill her at any moment. A boy who had a weapon stuffed in his back pocket. A boy who managed to slip past her father and all of his fifteen armed men in less than ten minutes. And a boy who was now...offering her a dumpling?

"Mira makes the best dumplings in town. Man, probably in the whole world! You should try it." He gently pressed the warm treat against her lips, face encouraging, and with wide eyes, Lucy hesitantly took a small bite out of it. "You like it, don't you? I inhale these things every chance that I can; breakfast, lunch, dinner, whenever."

_I'm sure you do_. "Um…" Her voice was muffled as she began to chew another offered bite. "I-I like it," she said, "it tastes good."

He gave her a toothy grin. "I knew you would. Everyone loves Mira's cooking. She's not here today, but she always keeps a stash of these behind the counter just for me. It's a shame she wants to murder you though. If you were anyone else, she'd probably love to cook you a batch of these everyday."

Lucy nearly choked and Natsu frowned as he handed her a small cup of soda. "W-wait," she wheezed, "what did you...what? She..._what_?"

"Oh, uh. Yeah." Natsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Don't worry about that. If it makes you feel any better, it's not a personal vendetta against _you_, just your father. I mean, she's not the only one that wants you dead. Pretty sure everyone who works for my father does." At Lucy's paling complexion, Natsu quickly tried to fix his words. "N-no, don't listen to me! That just means you're...popular, okay? Yeah, popular. Some criminals would love to have a reputation like yours and oh my god, I'm not making this any better, am I?"

If Natsu hadn't been such a spluttering idiot in trying to calm down her racing heart (with his wild hand motions and ever-changing expressions), she'd probably start crying and screaming for help at the top of her lungs, previous threats to her life be darned. Instead, she let out a breathy laugh, watching in amusement as Natsu stumbled over the right thing to say.

"I just...I mean. I'm not even supposed to be here. With you. Because, you know, all of my friends want your head on a silver platter as payback for Elfman and his mother. B-but _I _don't." He coughed, and averted his gaze from hers. It was strange to Lucy, seeing him act like all the other seventeen year old dorks she knew, like a normal (non-homicidal) teenage boy.

She jumped when he reached out to grab her hands, his eyes still refusing to meet hers. "I...I um, I think you're innocent in all of this," he stammered. "You shouldn't have to suffer for your father's mistakes, and if anyone ever heard me say that, they'd probably want to kill me too, fuck." His grip tightened and Lucy could faintly feel his hands shake. "But wait, they most likely already want to kill me! Right, because I fucked up their plans and I don't even know why I took you, and _I'm not supposed to be here_ and neither are you, but—"

"H-hold on," she interrupted, and he blinked out of his stupor. Finally he looked at her, doe-like brown eyes clashing with those of dark ebony. They were silent for a moment, simply staring at one other, before Lucy cleared her throat and asked, "what...what are you talking about?"

That's what sent him back into near hysteria. He broke out into a cold sweat, hands quivering once again and eyes on everything but her. "I'm sorry," he began softly and Lucy's head tilted in confusion. "There...there was a plan. I was supposed to...we were supposed to stay in that restaurant. I was just a distraction. Your father and his little bitches," he shook his head, "okay no. Not the time. Y-your father and his _force_, I mean, were meant to stay focused on me. They weren't going to notice the other patrons. So when they finally would, it'd be too late and you'd sort of...be a hostage...until Jude would release Elfman and I don't know why I didn't follow the plan. I really don't," he sighed and released one of her hands to thread his fingers through his hair in frustration. "After ensuring Elfman's freedom, we were supposed to kill you anyways. It's cruel, but that's how they..._we_ work. But I...I didn't want to see them hurt you. You're not Jude. From what I've seen, you're nothing like him. And I tried to tell them that, but they wouldn't listen to me. They wanted their revenge, no matter who got injured in the process, so I asked Levy for her help and I...I," his words faded off and his eyes clenched shut.

Lucy pried her hand from his (which wasn't hard considering how clammy they were) and Natsu let his arms fall to his sides. "You," her voice was strained and weak, sounding as if it could break at any moment, but she continued after a heavy swallow, "y-you saved me?"

Natsu looked up at her and shivered at the gratitude shining in her eyes. "No," he whispered, "don't. I'm not the good guy here. Please, just _don't_, okay? I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I didn't ask you out on a date that day to help them with their plan. I did it because I thought you were...you know," the faintest of blushes blossomed on his cheeks and Lucy had never seen him look more like the child he was, "you were kind of pretty and your dad was getting on my nerves and I just...wanted to get to know you? I don't know. But they used my asking you out to their advantage. I didn't think they'd do it, I wasn't thinking at all, but they did and _I'm so sorry_—"

"Natsu," Lucy cut him off again, and raised her hand to rest against his cheek, slowly bringing his forlornly lowered head up so he could face her. "It's okay. Don't you know I was forced to do the same thing? Of course, my father's plan wasn't to hold you hostage and kill you." Natsu backed away from her touch at that, but she refused to let him go. She brought him closer, making sure to look him directly in his eyes. "But his plan was to hurt you in some way. Maybe not physically, but he didn't want you around anymore. _I_ was the distraction in someone else's plan as well. But, as you said, I'm not him. And you aren't your father either. You're not the people who wanted to harm me. You _saved_ me, Natsu. Yes, you scare the shit out of me with your crazy antics, and I hardly know you, but just like you knew I was nothing like my father, I know you're nothing like yours. You...you're okay."

Natsu's face contorted into one of sorrow, his own palm coming up to rest against Lucy's. "Why…" he muttered, "why would anyone want to do something bad to someone like you?"

Lucy shrugged, her smile thinning but still remaining. "I don't know. Maybe because they're jealous of my dashing good looks and killer charms?"

Natsu body seemed to stiffen, and he gave her a disbelieving look before erupting into a fit of chuckles. His eyes began to water, a lone tear falling down his cheek (Lucy pretended not to see it), but his smile was wide and his laughter warm. "I wish I wasn't who I am," he admitted after a while, "and I wish you weren't who you are. Maybe then we could've met under different circumstances. You..." he paused, "you'd make an amazing friend."

Lucy patted his head affectionately. "Well, it can't be helped, can it? We've already met like this."

"Yeah," he hummed, "we have."

After that, they both continued to talk about random things. From the way Natsu's noodles were now bloated and practically inedible (that didn't stop him from greedily devouring them though), to Lucy's lonely yet exciting life abroad, to their likes, their dislikes, their personal fears, anything, everything (except their current circumstances, of course). And before they realized it, it was already late into the afternoon, almost evening and both of their phones were full of disregarded messages and calls.

Natsu picked up and un-silenced his phone with a sigh. He flipped it open, and nearly dropped it with the amount of notifications he had. Sixteen calls from Mira, eleven from Gray, two calls from Gajeel, and one sole text from his father. Natsu slammed his phone shut, not even bothering to read it, and shoved it in his pocket. He could feel his head begin to ache.

Lucy had done the same, Hello Kitty phone charms dangling as she opened her phone, and felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. Her father had used up all of her phone's storage with the number of messages he had sent her and the sudden guilt she felt at the sight slammed into her, the weight unbearable. He must've been so worried about her. Yes, this had all been his idea, he had been the one to put her in danger, but he was still her father. She should've said something to him. She should've replied and eased his anxieties. He probably searched all of Japan for her by now and here she was...with the very boy who caused all of this. Eating with him, laughing with him, befriending him. God, she was an awful daughter.

"I think...I should go home know."

Natsu heaved yet another sigh, his finger absentmindedly toying with his chopsticks. "I kind of don't want you to go."

"I'll be fine," she reasoned, "I have my father with me. He won't let me out of his sight from now on, and I doubt your...people will come after me anymore after today."

"You don't know that," he countered fiercely and Lucy couldn't find the words to disagree. "_I_ don't even know that. What they plan on doing next, my father never tells me. He knows I despise everything that he does, so I won't be informed about missions until it's too late and I'm being forced into it. Everyone knows that I can't disappoint my father. I'm his heir, his only son. And if I refuse to do as he says…"

"You're worried about me," she lightly plucked him on his forehead, "but you really should be worried about yourself. Just take me home. I promise I'll be okay."

Natsu lips formed into a grim line and Lucy barely stopped herself from shrinking under his piercing stare. "Why do you trust me?" he eventually asked and Lucy's eyes fluttered. She couldn't even answer that herself. Why _did_ she trust him? Someone who literally had a gun to her temple just days before? Who she had seen (or heard) help murder the innocent people of her father's department? Whose family and friends wanted her own, and even _her_, gone. Someone who would soon have hundreds upon thousands of criminals standing behind him, ready to steal, dominate, and kill at his command. He wasn't a trustworthy person, was he? He was exactly who her father made him out to be. He was a bad person who had done bad things and to put her life in his hands would be foolish.

Wouldn't it?

Lucy shook her head at those thoughts. They were her own just a few hours prior, yet she couldn't find it in herself to believe them anymore. It was amazing what a small chat over lumpy ramen noodles could do, huh? She simply rose her shoulders in reply, murmuring an _I just do_, and it was his pleased smile that sealed the deal for her. How could she _not_ trust him? He was no different from her, he was nothing more than a boy seeking his father's approval. He didn't want the life he had. He didn't want to make the decisions he was forced to make. It was so easy talking to him, discussing all of her secrets and wishes for the future. He'd laugh at the right time, become somber at the right time, squeeze her hand in comfort at the right time, tease her playfully, offer her more dumplings, and tell her his own desires and wants. Yes, he _had _done bad things before, but he was still a good person. And despite his rough exterior hardened by painful experiences and his spontaneous nature, he was...he was...

"You're the first person besides my cat to ever trust me," Natsu said and with a snort added, "then again, he's not a person, is he? Thank you, Lucy."

...he was a new friend.

|_July 14th, 2005_ — _Heartfilia Estate_|

Lucy remained locked in her room for an entire week. No, she wasn't grounded or anything (her father still didn't know where Natsu had taken her that fateful day and he never would, if Lucy had anything to say about it) but she was instead put on a "safety lockdown," as the flustered chief of police had put it. According to him, he'd spent hours looking for her that day and nearly lost his job after he tried assaulting the two men sent to watch over her in the restaurant. Afraid to add more stress to his already full plate, Lucy didn't tell him about Fairy Tail (the name of Natsu's father's syndicate, she'd learned from a recent newspaper. A silly name, in her opinion, but she knew not to be deceived by it) and their plan to kill her. That'd only fan the flames already burning her father's ego and she didn't want him to suffer more than he should. He'd already had to face criticisms from his boss for his failed operation, and his men didn't hesitate to show that they looked down on him for his costly mistake. _The_ Natsu Dragneel was right there for their taking, after all. Lucy could understand their annoyance.

But it seemed no one could understand hers. Her room had changed drastically from the last time she had been inside it, which was a given since her parents had moved to a much bigger home during the time she was away. This house was more like a mansion, with too many rooms and too much of a distance between her, her mother, and her father. While Lucy was stuck in her room (guarded day in and day out by a pair of men in tacky black suits), her mother spent most of her time on the eastern wing of the large estate, and her father either spent his time in the western wing or at work. Lucy was sure she hadn't seen the two of them together since she had returned home, and neither of them seemed to care about this little fact. It scared Lucy, to think her once warm and inviting home had been altered so much in the few years she was gone. There was no more late-night snacks in the kitchen, all three of them laughing over spilled cocoa and melting ice cream. No more marathons of old cartoons and low-budget films. No more games and fun banter over the dinner table. Heck, Lucy had felt less lonely at her boarding school and she was basically alone there.

So Lucy didn't particularly mind when her father ordered her to never leave her room (which was now expansive enough to have everything she may need) until things were "cleared up with those Fairy Tail scum." She wouldn't be spending time with him or her mother anyways, unfortunately. Exploring the area and re-familiarizing herself with her home city was off-limits until further notice. And all of her old friends probably didn't even remember who she was. It was...sad. But Lucy was used to it. She could manage.

The first few days on lockdown were spent reading all of her old favorite books her mother was kind enough to save from their old home. Lucy cringed at her awful taste in young adult novels, sticking her tongue out at the mushy kisses and ridiculously corny confessions the main protagonists gave each other. The next days were spent watching all of her favorite movies. She was sure that, within those seven days, she had watched The Lion King II: Simba's Pride more times than she had in her entire life. She memorized every word, swung her hands around like a conductor to each song as if she were the mastermind behind them, and when the movie would finally end, she'd rewind the cassette and play it all over again.

And sometimes, after she finished a book or waited for her movies to restart, she'd gaze outside of her window and think about _him_.

Natsu. That weirdo kid. She wondered if he was alright. Was his father mad at him? Did he disappoint him by saving her? Did he go on any new missions? Did they involve hurting more people? Was Mira still giving him her prized dumplings after what he'd done? He loved those things...it'd be such a shame if he couldn't taste them ever again because of her.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and her eyes twinkled mischievously as she turned to face the miniature kitchen (recently stocked and ready to be used) in the corner of her room.

_A thank you present_, she giddily thought, _that's all this will be_.

She rolled up the sleeves on her Hamtaro pajamas and cracked her knuckles, pulling a cookbook from one of the many shelves on her wall. "Hopefully those torturous Home Ec. classes weren't a complete waste."

And, of course, they were. Her first batch of dumplings were a mess. She had gotten the ingredients everywhere, her oven-mits were burnt at the tips, and to make matters worse, the dumplings themselves tasted like hot cardboard. It had taken her hours to make those, and it was one of the simplest recipes she had besides boiled water. But Lucy didn't give up, she wouldn't be _Lucy_ if she did. Instead, she cleaned up her station and prepared for round two. "You won't win this time," she cackled to herself, vigorously mixing the dough.

Three disasters later and Lucy had finally produced a batch she was somewhat proud of. Visually, they looked straight out of the cookbook. The taste, however...well Lucy hadn't exactly tried them yet. She was about to, mouth open wide in the most unflattering of ways, but the sound of a pebble being thrown at her window stopped her. She blinked and waited. And, like clockwork, another pebble flew into the glass. She dropped her dumpling back onto its plate and stumbled over to her window. Opening it, she peeked her head through and looked down, and if her eyes could grown any bigger, they'd be flying saucers.

There, dressed in all-black and standing in a tall bush, was Natsu (and was that...a cat?) He was gearing up to throw something else at her window, a rock that was much bigger and much more dangerous than the last two, and when he groaned at its weight after lifting it over his head, Lucy knew it was either she get his attention now or be smashed in the face with a Godzilla-sized stone.

"Hey!" she whisper-shouted, "heeeey!" But Natsu didn't hear her, still teetering under the heavy rock in his hands. Thankfully, his cat somehow did hear her call and scratched at Natsu's leg in a silent plea for him to look up. When he finally did, not even the black mask tied around his face could hide the excited smile that graced his features.

He almost dropped the monstrous rock on his cat who yowled at him in return. "Hey," Natsu whisper-shouted back and Lucy couldn't believe a guy like him could actually exist, "let's go on another date!"

.

.

一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

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**_Author's Note_**: ah. Over a year has passed since I uploaded a chapter to this story. To all of those who have waited, thank you and I'm sorry. But, if you've read my profile, then you know I never thought about abandoning this story in the time I was away. This story probably has more duds than KSKM. I have a whole folder of them. So yes, writing this chapter was a struggle for me. It wasn't until I decided to randomly re-write it a few days ago that I finally found a potential dud that I actually considered decent (surprise, surprise). Thus, a new update has arrived! Yay~ I won't upload this chapter until I have the next one written (or at least halfway done) so the wait won't be as long. Until next time then, folks! Stay tuned for chapter four and review if you wanna!

_chu~_


	5. chapter four : vanilla icing

**Disclaimer**—I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility with...wait—okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me.

* * *

.

My hollow heart only wants you

(Rose Scent Breeze by Red Velvet)

.

|_August 8th, 2005 _—_ Southgate Park_|

Fourteen.

That was how many times Natsu had nearly broken her window with his "stupid, stupid, stupid—why do you keep doing that?" rock-catapulting.

It was how many times Lucy had inhaled a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and jumped into his awaiting arms from her bedroom window on the second floor.

And it was how many times Natsu had grabbed her hands, whispered for her to "stay quiet, Luce," and hurriedly whisked her away—past the patrolling guards, through her mother's garden, and out the back gates with promises of adventure and fun flowing from his lips.

Most times, he'd take her somewhere exciting. "When's the last time you went here?" he would ask her, and when she'd answer with a shrug, he'd give her that silly grin and drag her to the nearest amusement park

(the smell of fresh desserts, the sound of laughter, and a light wind breezing past them)  
"_You're not afraid of heights, right?_"

or some old arcade.

(dim neon lights, rows of ancient games, and fuzzy electronic music playing in the background)  
"_Stand back and watch the DDR champion work his magic._"

Other times, he'd take her somewhere calming. "You'll like this place, I'm sure," he would say, and when she'd ask him where they were going, he'd remain silent until the very last moment: when Lucy's eyes would shine upon entering the grandest library

(tall shelves of tattered books, hushed whispers, and the warm sun filtering through glass windows)  
"_You're such a nerd, Luce._"

or an abandoned beach.

(the sand warm, a calmly billowing sea, and the sight of a colorful sunset spanning across the horizon)  
"_I can't exactly swim, so let's just build a bunch of sand castles, okay?_"

On the rare occasion, he'd take her somewhere simple. No words would be shared, only a smug gesture towards the wagon being towed around by his cat, a picnic basket inside. He'd look up at her, open his arms wide, and mouth those two words that always seemed to make her knees tremble.

(fuchsia and golden hibiscuses surrounding him, the two of them seemingly in a world of their own, his smile gentle and safe)  
"_Trust me?_"

Today just so happened to be one of those rare occasions, the ones Lucy secretly enjoyed the most.

Before breakfast or after dinner, those were the times Natsu would come to visit her. There was never a specific time, nor a specific date, so Lucy would simply wait by her windowsill until she saw that familiar burst of pink and black amongst her mother's flowers. Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't look forward to his spontaneous visits. They seemed to make her normally bleak days at home all the more bearable.

It was shocking really, how neither of them were ever caught. Her father would either be away at his workplace, spending hours (and sometimes days) at his office, and her mother would stay huddled in her bedroom, rarely heard from and rarely seen. The few times Lucy did try to spend time with her had always proven to be unsuccessful. "Mother is tired now," the older woman would excuse, "I just needs some time to myself." Lucy would merely nod and close her mother's door with a frown.

She'd probably never get used to the lonely and depressing atmosphere that swallowed her home while she was away. It was unsettling. Scary, even.

_But at least I have some company_, she thought gleefully, presenting a pile of seven steaming dumplings to a salivating Natsu, _even if said company is a little...weird_.

"I swear," he moaned as he swallowed one whole—two, three, "these taste better and better each time you bring them to me."

"Thank you," Lucy said with a giggle and scooted closer to the tree they were sitting under. It was a hot summer's day, and even with just a tank top and shorts on, Lucy was still burning up. She wondered how Natsu could manage not to even break a sweat in his dark hoodie and jeans. "Sorry if they're not as good as Mira's," she added after a moment of peaceful silence, "I know how much you like hers."

Natsu stopped chewing, eyebrows furrowed. "Buh I like yoursh too."

"Hey," she scolded and threw a crumpled napkin at him, "swallow first! That's gross!"

He chuckled (thankfully after swallowing) and patted Lucy's head in apology. "Sorry sorry," he sang and Lucy melted under his touch, "I just can't help it. Your cooking is amazing, Luce."

Lucy blushed, mentally swearing that it was just the heat getting to her. "U-um," she stuttered, "thank you? I guess."

"It's nothing. Besides," Natsu said after finishing his can of soda, "your food is _way_ better than the snacks I brought. Not even Happy liked them." He gestured towards the white cat napping peacefully by his picnic basket. Natsu heaved a sigh, "I guess water and bread sandwiches aren't for everyone."

The blonde snorted at that, bashfulness long forgotten. "If it makes you feel any better, before meeting you, I couldn't even pour milk into a bowl of cereal without burning something down."

Natsu gave her a disgusted look. "Oh, that's awful. You suck."

"Gee thanks," Lucy deadpanned, "I really needed to hear that after trying to make you feel better about your crap cooking skills."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to comforted by someone who can't even prepare cereal correctly."

Lucy playfully shoved him, reveling in the way he fell onto his side with a exaggerated _oof_. "You are a massive jerk, Natsu Dragneel."

"And you're a massive baby, Lucy Heartfilia," came Natsu's quick retort. He yanked on the blue ribbons on her pair of Powerpuff Girls shoes and smirked up at her. "Look at this. What is this?"

The blonde hissed and snatched her foot away from him. "Rude. These are super rare, Bubbles-themed shoes that are _crazy_ hard to find these days. Get on my level, you pleb."

"I'm pretty sure they aren't hard to find in the shoe sizes they were meant for," he mumbled. "You know, the kid's sizes? For people younger than ten years old?" He laughed at the embarrassed flush of her cheeks, quieting only when Lucy kicked him onto his back. "Ow."

"S-shut up!" she sputtered. "Just finish eating your stupid breakfast so I can go home, where my novelty shoes are _appreciated_."

Natsu rolled back onto his stomach, his head balancing on his palms as he cooed, "aw. You don't really want to go back home, do you? I'm sure hanging out with me is much more fun."

Lucy crossed her arms with a huff. "I will neither confirm nor deny that statement." She rolled her eyes at his cheeky grin. "But really," she eventually added with a sigh, "I do need to be getting home soon. It's my parent's wedding anniversary tomorrow and I'm sure I'm needed somewhere in that ice castle right about now."

"_Booo_," Natsu drawled. "Now you really do suck. We usually hang out longer than this. What am I supposed to do with all my free time now?"

"Um, something else?"

"Gee. What a great, helpful, not-at-all-vague idea, Luce. I'll get to that right away!"

Lucy scoffed, dusting off the blades of grass Natsu had been absentmindedly piling onto her lap. "Why don't you just do what you normally do when you're not with me?"

"You mean pretend to be someone I'm not just to win the affection and approval of my stone-faced, bastard of a father?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, eyes challenging as they met hers, and Lucy pursed her lips. "Yeah. You can see why that wouldn't be at the top of my To-Do list."

"Well, Happy is here with you. Just hang out with him," she weakly suggested and pointed to the snoozing cat.

Natsu stared at her for what seemed like hours after that (though, in reality, it was only a few seconds). His face was expressionless, eyes blank as they rested on her stiffening form. And it was only after three nervous heartbeats (Lucy hoped he couldn't hear them pounding loudly in her chest) that Natsu finally turned his focus to the orange sky and released a dramatically drawn-out groan, "_whatever_."

Lucy's body relaxed at the sound and she pinched his cheek regretfully. "Oh, come on. Don't be too grumpy. You can always visit me tomorrow."

"Who knows what my father has planned for me tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that." He quickly sat up, his frown deep as he continued, "or the day after that. _Or_ the day after that. I have no idea when I'll be able to see you again!"

"And you call me a massive baby," Lucy scoffed. "Look, I was going to wait a few more weeks until I did this, but here." She dug into her short's pocket and pulled out a small scrap of paper. She held it out to him. "There's my e-mail and my cellphone number. You can IM me anytime, but don't call. Just text, okay?"

Natsu looked down at the offered paper (a piece of Lion King stationary. Of course) before hesitantly accepting it. He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, opened it, closed it again, before opening it one more time in an attempt to not look like a goldfish. But all that came out was a monotone, "u-uh…"

"I'll take that as a thank you," Lucy giggled. She stood from her place on the old sheet Natsu had brought along, and stretched her arms above her head. "Ah," she moaned as she felt her muscles loosen. "Welp. It's best I go now. Want to walk me home?"

Natsu remained silent, nodding dumbly before standing up himself. He gathered their bowls and empty cans, tossing them towards Happy who dutifully placed them in the picnic basket. "Are you r-ready—" his voice cracked, "ready to go, pal?"

Happy mewled his response and Natsu made sure the thin rope connecting the cat's collar to his small wagon was secure.

Lucy's amused voice nearly made him jump out of his skin. He spun around to face her while she watched his cat trot ahead of them. "You know," she began and Natsu's fingers skittishly toyed with the paper in his hoodie's pocket, "if Happy didn't look so, well..._happy_ rolling that thing around, I'm sure this would be a form of animal abuse."

Natsu could feel his brain becoming mushy (what was wrong with him). "Uh. R-really?" he managed to stammer (oh dear God).

Lucy just smiled at him, tugging on his sleeve. "Come on, you dork. The sun's almost fully in the sky."

Natsu followed the direction of her gaze, flinching at the now blue sky, streaks of the nighttime past fading away. He coughed, "right...y-yeah okay," and awkwardly pulled his arm from Lucy's hold as they began to follow after Happy.

(cherry blossom trees flowing, birds chirping their morning tunes, and a smile as soft as the clouds on her lips)  
"_You don't know how badly I want to stop time whenever you're around._"

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|_August 9th, 2005 — Heartfilia Manor_|

**INBOX-OPEN**  
_

HEY LUCE HEY LUCE HEY LUCE!  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 09:54 pm

Lucy glared at her phone from under the dining table. She debated whether or not she should reply (her father _had_ been eyeing her strangely since he'd come home), and was ready to flip her phone shut when another text came through, sending her palms vibrating. She gave her father and mother a quick glance, breathing a sigh of mixed frustration and relief when she realized they were busy arguing with one another. She rolled her eyes. _It's probably over something petty_.

**INBOX-OPEN**  
_

Aw don't tell me u died frm complete boredom already D:  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 09:55 pm

.

**SENDING**  
_

No. Not yet anyways. :-(  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 09:57 pm

.

"That is out of the question, Jude. You know I won't let you do that!" She heard her mother snap, and Lucy jumped at the raspy sound. Her head jerked up, coming to face the tired yet heated eyes of her mother. She was glaring at her husband, arms crossed defiantly, and a sneer marring her generally beautiful features.

Lucy looked to her left, across from the seething woman, where Jude sat rigidly in his seat. His tone was condescendingly patient as he said, "this isn't up to _you_. I've already made my decision and that's final."

Before she could hear her mother's reply, Lucy's phone alerted her of another message. She closed her eyes, silently thanking whoever was up there for the brief distraction (anything was better than seeing her parents behave this way).

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

I took ur advice n hung out w/ Happy. He scratched me after I tried dyeing his fur black. Now I have a giant scratch on the back of my neck and he's blue bc I didn't keep the dye on long enough...  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:01 pm

Lucy smothered a laugh as she typed out her response.

**SENDING  
**_

You're a mess  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:02 pm

.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

U sound just like my reflection  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:04 pm

"Are you insane?" There was her mother's shrill voice again. It was hard ignoring what was going on around her this time (with how loud and distraught Layla sounded), but Lucy still kept her focus on her phone. She wouldn't look up. She _couldn't_ look up. "You are so selfish! Of all the nasty, disrespectful things you could do to me, you've decided to—"

"This is about Lucy, not you," Jude interrupted, and if looks could kill, the one Layla was sending his way would've already had him six feet under. "Look. All I wanted was to give my daughter the chance to meet someone who is important to me. But of course you make this argument all about you and your unpredictable feelings. How did I not see this coming?"

**SENDING  
**

Should I feel bad?

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:08 pm

Layla's hands shook viciously around her glass, and anyone could tell the older blonde felt more than tempted to hurl it across the table and into her father's face, half-finished wine and all. "So you're going to invite that _whore_ to this house? Why, you heartless—"

Fingers tingling with the sensation of a new message, Lucy struggled to cut her mother's voice out (_don't listen_, _don't listen_. _It's just a small argument. Everything will be okay_). She looked down at her phone, eyes widening when she read what was now glowing on the small screen.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

:* I luv yousss4,  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:11 pm

She swallowed a gasp—_what is this what is this what is this__—_ and was ready to slam her thumb down onto the reply button when another message instantly buzzed through.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

Ignore that last text. Levy stole my phone  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:11 pm

If ever asked, Lucy would vehemently deny pouting or feeling even an ounce disappointment at that bit of news. God, she was such a hormonal idiot, getting all flustered and queasy over something so silly. Obviously that hadn't been Natsu. How could it have been? He probably didn't even know what romance was, let alone a confession. And if it had been him (there was less than a negative one percent chance of that though), it would've totally just been some platonic statement of pure friendship, right?

Right.

_So get a grip_, she thought with a shake of her head, _this is Natsu we're talking about. He would never...you know...do that. _

_Would he_?

Lucy quickly abandoned that train of thought, and instead wracked her brain for something witty to say (though really, anything that could steer the conversation away from all this one-sided awkwardness would do).

**SENDING**  
_

I wouldn't want to be confessed to via text msg. &amp; w/ a bunch of typos anyways ^^  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:15 pm

There. That should do it.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

I'll keep that in mind, princess  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:16 pm

Lucy nearly choked on her peas. She'd made it worse.

The fidgeting teenager had to chug down an entire glass of juice just to clear her throat and, for the very first time since dinner had started, was actually grateful her parents were too preoccupied with playing Who Can Out-Scream the Other to notice her. Honestly, how would she even explain her cheeks turning into a fierce tomato red and the fact that she appeared ready to erupt into a fit of screams at any second? With her father's eagle eyes and her mother's fearsome intuition, her cover would've been blown in a split second.

_Jeez, way to get a grip, Lucy_. She mentally slapped herself. _Subject_ _change_!_ Change it, just change it now_!

**SENDING  
**_

So...whatcha doin'?  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:25 pm

Wonderful. Astounding segue.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

Uh getting ready to do some work. Wbu?

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:26 pm

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Lucy's little bubble of peace burst as she turned towards her parents. Her mother was standing now, her chair lying on its side on the pristine marble floors of their dining room. She was fuming, even more so than earlier, and it was a sight Lucy was sure she had never seen before. Layla's fists were clenched at her sides, her body shaking as she stared her infuriatingly stoic husband down. "I am so sick and tired of you, Jude," she whispered harshly. Lucy felt herself sink in her seat. "That stupid promotion has changed you. Now you're nothing but a rotten pig!"

Lucy deeply exhaled. What was going _on_?

**SENDING**

Not much. Just watching my parents stir up WWIII  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:28 pm

"Really, Layla. How so?" Jude's voice was bored as he addressed his wife, eyes daring her to list her insults. And insult she did.

As Jude watched her with mocking disinterest, an undeterred Layla raised her hands, fingers counting off each and every one of her convictions. "You're never home anymore." One. "You're always at work, chasing down men who you're too stubborn to give up on." Two. "When you _are_ home, you ignore your daughter and I as if we're strangers." Three. "You're cranky all the time." Four. "You're 'busy' _all the time_." Five. "And, honestly, you are _not_ the man I married. The Jude I foolishly fell in love with. Instead you're...you're...this fucked up _shell_ of him!"

...six.

Lucy flinched at her mother's words. She'd never heard the woman curse before. Layla was her _mother_, her beautiful and elegant and poise mother who never had a single strand of hair out of place. It had been weeks since Lucy had heard Layla speak so many words, and it was a shock to her to hear her mother say something so _unlike_ her. Everything was a shock to her. She had no clue what was happening. Yes, there had been a few days she'd spent her meals eating alone. Yes, there were times when she could hear her parents arguing in her father's study. And okay, both of them had seemed unnaturally distant from one another since she had finally returned home. But all of _this_? Lucy had no idea her mother had been feeling this way, that her father had supposedly been _acting_ that way. They were the ideal couple in her young eyes. Always together. Always smiling. Always _happy_.

_So what happened_?

Lucy squeezed her eyelids shut and simply breathed. How had this argument even started? Was it something she did? Was it her fault? Her mother must've still been upset about that failed mission, the one that nearly cost Jude his job and Lucy her life. She remembered Layla's reaction from when she returned home all those nights ago. Her mother had been distraught, clinging to her while shouting at Jude for his carelessness over her shoulder. Perhaps her mother was still angry at him because of that. Yes...that had to be it. Lucy doubted they argued like this when she was still at her boarding school. So it _was_ her fault. She was the one irresponsible and weak enough to be taken from her father. If she had never come back home, none of that would've ever happened. None of _this _would have ever happened. Would leaving bring them together again? Make them smile again? Stop this arguing and make them _happy_? Maybe she—

Her phone buzzed.

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

Oh? Does the princess need saving? I'm actually about to do something 4 my dad but I'll be there if u need me  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 10:46 pm

Lucy's phone quivered in her hands. But it wasn't vibrating anymore. So what...?

Was it her? Why was she shaking? Why? Nothing was wrong. Everything was going to be fine, she was sure of it. This was just a minor hiccup in her parents' flawless relationship. It could (and _would_) be solved soon. So why was her body acting as if it were the end of the world?

"If I'm so different," Jude breezily began, breaking the silence. His calloused fingers interlocked in a fold that displayed his faux benevolence before he finally said, "then perhaps we should no longer be married."

Lucy felt herself freeze. She gaped at her father (who was still sitting in that regal pose, as if his words were nothing but casual chatter). She couldn't even breath, body stiff even as she internally screamed for it to _get up. Get up and leave_!

Jude leaned forward in his chair, his first movement in what seemed like hours. There was a smug look on his face (and...victorious? No, impossible. Lucy shook her head at that), and his lips pulled up into a confident smirk as his wife dropped her arms to her sides. She looked _defeated_. "So...how about it, my dear wife?" No. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. "How about we finally end this, hm?" They were supposed to fix everything. "Let's do what we both know we've been wanting to do for years." _No_, that's not...this is not... "Let's get a divorce."

Heart beating wildly, thoughts whirling through her mind, Lucy didn't think things could possibly get worse until the sound of her mother's near silent voice reached her ears.

"Fine."

* * *

After retreating to her bedroom, sleep refused to grace Lucy with its presence, no matter how many times she tossed and turned. Dinner that night had been one of the worst experiences of her life. Even worse than being held at gunpoint, to be quite honest.

_But at least then I was blind enough to think my parents were still happily together_.

Lucy groaned into her pillow and kicked off her prized Bratz blanket with a huff. Nothing was working. She couldn't empty her aching head, clear it of all thoughts pertaining to her parents' oncoming d...div..."ugh! This can't be happening!" she screamed, the sound muffled by soft cotton. She flipped off of her stomach, eyes opening as they came to rest upon her ceiling glowing with artificial stars. Ah, so her mother had remembered to pack those too. She must've just put them up. Lucy could remember them once being on the ceiling of her old bedroom, though they didn't seem as far away as they did here. She could remember a lot of stupid things because of those stupid stars. Like how her parents would tuck her in at night, her mother on her left and her father on her right. They'd read her bedtime stories, retell memories of the first time they'd met (as per a toddler-Lucy's insistent requests), and they'd gently whisper their goodnights before kissing her cheeks and leaving her room, hand in hand.

See? Stupid things.

She didn't need to think about her old bedroom or her old life anymore. This was her life now, regardless of how she felt about it. What she once had would never return to her, no matter how much she longed for it...no matter how much she reached for it.

_Those memories_—Lucy lifted her arm up, fingers spreading wide—_are like stars now, huh_?

With a sniff, she dropped her arm. Now she was just depressing herself. She needed to get her mind off of this. It wasn't because of her things turned out this way (or was it? She was still debating with herself about that), so maybe she could read a book until she finally felt tired? Play some of her favorite CD-ROM games? Maybe cook some more dumplings for Natsu?

Wait...

_Natsu_!

Lucy hurriedly rose from her bed and staggered towards her windowsill. She pushed her window open, humming in appreciation as the night air began to caress her skin. Plopping down onto the pink cushion underneath it, she pulled out her phone and pressed the messenger icon. She re-read the last message Natsu had sent her, hating the way her heart stuttered at his final words, before she clicked reply. Her message was simple, straight-to-the-point, and short enough to hide any and all of the current feelings storming within her. She didn't want to worry him, not if she could help it.

**SENDING  
**_

You still awake?  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 12:22 pm

She meekly waited for his reply, biting her lip in anticipation for that familiar buzz. She didn't want to admit it, but Natsu had helped her a lot during that disaster of a dinner. With just his meaningless texts, she had felt less alone as her parents relationship of twenty years ended right before her eyes. Unknowingly, he served as a distraction—no, he was more than that. He was a _blessing_, one that kept her grounded throughout that entire ordeal. If his quirky little messages weren't there, she probably would've broken down on the spot. She would've had to watch her mother as she bared all of her frustration to the world. Would've had to watch her father as he eyed his mother as if she were nothing but a nuisance instead of the love of his life (like she had strongly believed for years). And would've just been...lonely. He hadn't been physically beside her, but he was somehow still_ there_.

Lucy didn't think she'd ever be able to properly thank him for his unintentional support. Or do so without coming off as a complete freak. She could already see how that conversation would go down: her blushing like mad, fingers wringing together, while Natsu stood before her, just as nonchalant as always. _Hey, Natsu? Remember that time when you first texted me? Well yeah, you may not know this, but those messages of yours really made me feel like I was in another world. You know, one where it was just the two of us alone, in another reality? Yeah, thanks for that, buddy._

Yeah. Not happening.

Gazing out at her mother's luscious garden (Natsu and his dorky face swimming through her mind), Lucy didn't even realize twenty-some minutes had passed until her phone vibrated in her lap. She blinked, staring down at the bejeweled device as if it had been playing tricks on her. But no. It wasn't. Because right there, right on her screen, was Natsu's message.

**INBOX-OPEN**

busy  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 12:44 pm

And that was it.

Of course, Lucy felt crestfallen because of it. Maybe even a bit discouraged. _He did say he was doing something for his father_, she attempted to console herself, but even that failed miserably. Ah, she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. She shouldn't have been so selfish. Duh, Natsu had an entire life of his own. It was a given that he wouldn't be available at _any_ time. Perhaps she should just take a sleeping pill. Call a maid for some tea? Slam her head into the nearest wall?

_Or try again_, one part of Lucy's brain suggested while the other scolded her for being so stubborn. But the first part easily won her over (_what could go wrong_?), and Lucy shrugged as she typed out her reply. If he was super busy, he wouldn't even see it. But if he wasn't _too_ busy...

**SENDING  
**_

I need you.  
_

To: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 12:48 pm

It wasn't a lie. She _did_ need his company. She needed his laugh to brighten up her terrible evening. She needed his wide grin to remind her that happiness was a legitimate thing. She needed his brightness, his cheerfulness, his adorable expressions and glowing eyes. She needed _Natsu_...almost desperately.

Lucy frowned as the seconds ticked by, fingertips scraping against her phone case. She was getting nervous and doubt was beginning to settle in. Her shoulders drooped when she didn't see another message pop up.

What did she think would happen? That he'd freeze time, hop on the back of a magical white horse, and gallantly soar at warp speed through dark city streets just to get to her? God, she was an idiot to hope he'd actually repl—

**INBOX-OPEN  
**_

I'll be there in 15  
_

From: that idiot boy  
08/09/05 12:49 pm

Lucy's eyelids fluttered as she read (and re-read, and re-read ten times more) Natsu's text.

The smallest of smiles tugged at her lips, and a chill of exhilaration ran up her spine. "Perfect."

* * *

_Whoosh_

"Holy—" Lucy ducked as a giant mass of red barreled straight through her window. Instinctively, she reached towards her bed, grabbed her pillow, and held it above her head (a weak form of defense, but she was _damn_ ready to make it work), gearing up to scream bloody murder when a clammy palm was suddenly pressed against her mouth. She gasped, struggling to see who the random trespasser was. It was only when they spoke, voice low and frantic, when her body finally relaxed.

"Shh! Luce, it's me!" Natsu. Of course it was Natsu. Who else would it have been?

_Besides his lunatic family who probably still wants to disembowel me._

Lucy swatted Natsu's hand away and smacked him with her pillow anyways. "You idiot!" she whisper-shouted and sent her bedroom door a wary glance. Good. The coast was clear. "God, what were you thinking? You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She hit him again for good measure and he recoiled, holding up his arms in a sign of surrender.

"There was no time to get your attention without getting caught." And by attention, he meant there was no time to hurtle boulders at her window like a failed circus act. "There were more guards outside than usual," he continued to explain, "and I'm not exactly in my best condition right now to properly sneak around them."

"Best condition? What do you mean? What—" With all their hushed kerfuffling, Lucy hadn't gotten a proper look at her friend after he literally swooped into her room. However, when she finally did, she wanted to hit herself for being so mindless. "...what happened to you?" He was crouching on the floor beside her, his normally messy hair seeming even more askew (if that were possible) and his red hoodie lined with tears and stains. Lucy looked him up and down, her forehead crinkling with worry. "_What happened to you_?" she repeated with more force.

Natsu lips twisted sheepishly, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "Small accident in one of my dad's...affairs," was his (blatantly sugarcoated) excuse. He stretched out his legs, fully sitting down now as he continued, "it was a delivery. One of our _idiot_ rookies pulled some dumb shit and started this whole brawl with the other side. Thankfully, they were all inexperienced enough to bring knives to a gun fight."

Lucy nodded, not understanding completely but deciding not to further question him. She cleared her throat, tilting her chin towards the dark stains on his clothes. "So you...did you get stabbed?"

"Um, what's your definition of stabbed?"

Lucy's face went blank. "That's it. Take your top off."

Natsu waved his hands in front of him and scooted away. "Luce, it's not that serious—"

"Strip, Dragneel," she demanded once again and from the way she was looking at him, he knew if he didn't do it himself, she would most definitely do it for him. Natsu begrudgingly complied, pulling his hoodie over his head and exposing his bare torso to the scrutinizing blonde. There were cuts littered across his body, slashes sporadically criss-crossing from his shoulders down to his stomach. They were all thin, none appearing too deep or fatal, and for that, Lucy was thankful. She sighed, "okay, so you weren't..._stabbed_-stabbed. They must've really sucked at handling their weapons if you managed to get out of there with just these scratches."

"Or I'm just a master dodger."

"Or you're just a master dunce," Lucy shot back before standing. She walked over to her dresser, opening and closing drawers as she searched for her miniature first-aid kit. On her third try, she found it and held it in the air with a small cheer. "Anyways," she said and made her way back to Natsu, "just because your injuries weren't that severe this time doesn't mean they won't be next time."

Natsu's teeth bit into his bottom lip while Lucy sat before him, her legs folding as she opened the white metallic box. "I've already been through worse than this, Luce," he attempted to dissuade. "These are nothing but flesh wounds."

"Which will leave nasty scars if you don't get them treated." Lucy pulled out a bag of cotton balls, a small jug of peroxide, ointment, and a stack of bandages. She laughed at Natsu's displeased expression before getting to work. "Grumpy, why'd you come here when you're hurt? You should be on your way to a hospital."

"Hospitals are for nerds. Besides," Natsu stopped for a second to hiss as Lucy applied a dab of peroxide, "you...you said you needed me."

Lucy was grateful Natsu couldn't see her face. She had already blushed way too many times that day and she didn't need Natsu making fun of her for it. "S-stupid, I don't need you if you're hurt!"

"Not hurt. Just...a little damaged. I'll heal in no time." Natsu smiled triumphantly, but scoffed at the litany of little flower bandages now being pressed to his skin. He watched Lucy's head as it dutifully bobbed from her kit to his chest and couldn't help but ask, "what about you? Are you okay?"

"Stay still," she ordered, smearing a dollop of ointment onto one of the final cuts. Natsu bristled at her demand, and in no time Lucy had finished her self-appointed task. She beamed at her job well done, but when she looked up and noticed his eyes intensely meeting her own, she squeaked. "I'm...I'm fine," she stammered in the most articulate of ways. "It's just...my family is sort of falling in the dumps right now and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Natsu's chuckle was dry and humorless. "Story of my life," he muttered.

Lucy felt herself blanch. "Oh! Oh god, why am I complaining to _you_ about family problems?" She smacked her forehead and groaned, "this is embarrassing..."

"No it isn't," the pinkette assured her. He pulled her hand from her face and into his lap, allowing it to loosely rest in his hold. "Just because my circumstances may be a bit more...complicated, doesn't mean I can't empathize. So what happened? Judy finally revealed he's an ogre in disguise?"

"Close, but no," she murmured and internally swooned as Natsu's hand tightened around her own. "My mom and him are getting a divorce. A-and...I think he's having an affair, too."

Natsu gagged. "_Ew_, someone's having an affair with _Judy_? Do they hate their lives that much?" he dramatically wheezed, but paused when he saw Lucy's mouth contort into a disapproving frown. He coughed. "Uh, sorry. Not the right time. Go on."

"It's just..." Her voice was low, throat constricting as the annoying feeling of tears burned her eyes. _Don't cry_, she mentally hissed, and shakily inhaled before finishing her words. "It's just I never would've thought my parents would end up this way. I feel like a moron for thinking that they were the same parents I'd left behind when I was younger."

"Well, look on the bright side. At least your mother doesn't have to deal with Judy and his grossness anymore."

Despite herself, Lucy managed to smile at that. She gazed playfully at him, tone light as she stated, "he's still my father, Natsu."

Natsu snickered and used his free hand to gently grip her chin. He turned her head from side to side, analyzing her closely before smirking to himself. "It's easy to forget that. You didn't get his ugly."

No matter what Lucy did, she couldn't hide her reddening cheeks from Natsu that time around. She pulled her head back, still feeling the lingering warmth his fingers left behind. "Thank you?" was all she found herself capable of saying.

_If_ Natsu did see her sudden change in color, he thankfully didn't mention it. His smirk simply broadened. "You're welcome."

"Well...t-that was all, I guess. I just wanted someone to talk to...for a bit. Sorry if I wasted your time."

"Hey, you could never waste my time, Luce." Natsu motioned his chin towards her abandoned phone. "Didn't I tell you already? I'll always be here if you need me."

Lucy nodded slowly and bowed her head, all but whispering, "p-promise to come to me too. If you need me, I mean." Oh, what was she even saying? Why would Natsu ever need _her_? All she could do was patch him up with cheap bandages and make him amateur dumplings. Who on Earth _needs_ things as useless as that?

"I promise. No, I _swear_." Natsu was just too nice for his own good. "Next time, if I get stabbed seventy-seven times, you'll be the first person I come to."

As surprised as she was by his strong declaration, Lucy still smacked him with her pillow. "Natsu! Don't joke about that!" she scolded harshly with yet another hit and Natsu yelped at the feathery attack.

"Ow, okay okay!" He nearly lost his eye as another shot came soaring at him. "Stop hitting me!"

And then, unexpectedly, "Lucy? Dear? May I come in?"

Natsu and Lucy froze as Jude's voice and three loud knocks echoed throughout the room. Natsu was curled up into a ball, cowering from the blonde leaning over him with her pillow-gone-assault-weapon. They stared wide-eyed at one another, chests rising and falling with quick pants, before another three knocks broke them out of their stupor.

"Oh! Um..." Lucy slammed her pillow onto Natsu's chest and wildly mouthed the word _hide_. The boy nodded frantically and rolled his body under Lucy's bed (though not before smothering Lucy in the face with her own pillow as some last-minute form of revenge). She narrowed her at the silhouette now hidden (and probably laughing) under her bed frame before yelling, "yes, Father! You can."

Jude hesitantly opened the door, peeking his head inside only to find his daughter sitting cross-legged on her bedroom floor with the widest of smiles on her face. He blinked, thinking nothing of her suspicious appearance as he made his way over to her. "Lucy," he began, taking a seat on his daughter's bed, "I'm...I'm sorry about what happened over dinner this evening. I didn't mean for your mother and my business to surface that way."

Lucy shot a nervous glance towards Natsu. "I-it's okay, father."

The old cop sighed, lips set into a grim line as he removed his glasses. He looked somewhat relieved at Lucy's words. "I was hoping you would say that. You seemed a little upset when you left the dinner table. I don't want whatever your mother said to have ruined your evening."

Lucy wanted to deny his claims, say her mother had done absolutely nothing wrong, and that everything was probably more _her_ fault than anyone else's, but she didn't. She merely shook her head and forced a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I just needed some time to...think."

"Right. Well, in the morning, I have a surprise for you. It might be a bit short notice, but I've been planning this for a few months now." Jude looked at her expectantly and Lucy wracked her brain to find the words he probably wanted to hear.

"Oh...I can't wait?" That was the best she could come up with.

But Jude appeared sincerely pleased with her. He finally stood from Lucy's bed (ears not picking up on the deep _oh thank god_ coming from beneath it). He straightened out his pajama pants and with a firm nod said, "good. Now tell your friend goodnight. It's getting late and I want you to be up bright and early tomorrow."

Outwardly, Lucy was about to split her face apart from smiling so hard. "M-my friend?" Inwardly, she was screeching to the heavens.

Jude was already on his way to the door. "Hm? You're on the phone, aren't you?" he asked without looking back and Lucy belted out a hardy laugh.

"Oh, um. No! Ha, I w-was just...talking to myself."

"Ah, I see. Well whatever helps you rest. I'll see you in a few hours, Lucy," were his last words before leaving. He closed the door behind him, taking all the tension in the room with him.

In his wake, Lucy waved as she mumbled, "yeah. G'night, father."

"You know," a bitter voice broke Lucy's attention away from her sealed bedroom door and to the body now worming its way out from under her bed. Natsu was scowling, glaring at nothing as he crawled back to his previous spot beside Lucy. "I thought maybe it was the uniform that made your father look like a major prude. But, seeing him now, I see that it's just him." He turned to look at her, ready to complain about his poor choice in hiding spots, when he noticed the somber look on her face. "Luce?"

"What do you think his surprise is?" _I hope it's not what I think it is...or_ who_, for that matter_.

Natsu shrugged one shoulder and clicked his tongue. "Knowing him, it's probably something lame. Like...a pair of socks, or something. Don't think too much about it. Let's just go to bed, okay?"

Now that was enough to snap Lucy out of her thoughts. "_Let's_?" she parroted, and Natsu bounced his head excitedly. "Hold on. What do you mean _let's_?"

"Well, you invited me over," he stated matter-of-factly (and Lucy hated the fact that he was right). "Plus, I'm _so _tried. And I'm _so_ hurt. You wouldn't make me leave all injured like this, would you?" He fluttered his lashes at her, a hand held to his still-bare chest and...was he _pouting_?

"Yes," Lucy answered dryly. Natsu gasped and her eyes rolled to the ceiling, feigning a look of annoyance. "_But_...I'll let you stay this once. Come on, my bed is big enough for eight of us."

It was then that Natsu seemed to truly realize where he was. He gawked at the expanse of Lucy's bedroom, from the tall ceiling and wide walls, the small kitchen, the giant cabinets housing more books than he could count, the large television set, to the grand bed centered between them all. "Woah. You weren't kidding. What kind of bedroom for a seventeen year old looks like a mini-penthouse?"

Lucy was already laying down on her bed by then. "Mine. Now hush up before my father thinks I'm going insane."

"Roger that, Captain," Natsu said with a salute. He grabbed the pillow they had attacked one another with, jumped, and _dropped_ into Lucy's soft mattress. She squealed as his weight nearly sent her tumbling off her bed, but his arm quickly wrapped around her waist, stopping her face from becoming one with her carpet. "Woops."

"Yeah, _woops_." She elbowed him in the gut. He squawked in pain before scooting away from her. "Now go to sleep. It's already past my bedtime."

She ignored the way Natsu snorted at the word _bedtime_, instead closing her eyes and snuggling into the other dozen pillows surrounding her.

Then, a sudden thought struck her.

"Hey, Natsu?" she quietly called, and Natsu lifted his head to look over at her.

"Your father is going to get you a therapist if you keep talking."

"Just one quick question."

"Shoot."

Now that she had his attention, she was reluctant to voice her feelings. She mulled over the right way to approach what she believed was a _touchy_ subject for the both of them. "Um, won't your...family be worried about you? I mean, getting slashed a bunch of times and then disappearing—won't that make them scared?"

Natsu droned as he contemplated Lucy's question. He tapped his chin for a moment before eventually replying in a flippant tone, "considering they all hate me right about now, I think my disappearance is a good thing to them."

Lucy released a noise of disbelief, craning her own head to glower at her friend. She crawled over to him just to irritably pinch his side (he grabbed her wrists just in time to stop her fingers from nipping at his stomach next). "Don't say that!" she admonished. "Even if they don't like how you...saved me, they still probably care about you!"

"_Probably_, though not likely. Truthfully, your bed is too comfortable for me to actually care, so let's drop this, okay?" Natsu's expression was indifferent (almost _too_ indifferent) and Lucy deflated at the sight.

Her body lowered itself next to his, and one of the hands he was holding came to lay atop his chest while the other laced through his ruffled hair. She massaged his slap lightly, fighting the desire to just throw her arms around his body and hug the air out of him. She should've never asked about his family. She shouldn't have brought it up. Although his face had been aloof, betraying not an ounce of emotion as he weighed his family's affection (or lack thereof) for him, it was his eyes that displayed them all. The moonlight was dim, but she could still see the pain swimming in his eyes. The abandonment. The _loneliness_.

Earlier in the night, he had comforted her. Now it was _her_ turn to comfort him. "Well, then..." she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against his shoulder, "sweet dreams, Natsu..."

One brief second of silent tranquility went by.

"Apologizing in advance if I grope you in my sleep."

Lucy yanked her arms away from him. "_What_?"

"Nothing!" Natsu instantly cried and tossed one arm and one leg across Lucy's body. Even with his eyes shut, he could tell Lucy was sending him the dirtiest of looks. He peeked one eye open and grinned at her. "Sweet dreams, Luce." And he snuggled closer to her, nose brushing against her neck and lips just centimeters away.

Lucy shook her head (ignoring her stomach as it flipped and flopped all over the place) before relaxing in his hold.

Sleep had never come easier.

.

.

一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

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**_Author's Note_**: Oh shit, look at how long this is. Honestly, I was thinking about splitting this chapter in two because I usually _do not_ write chapters this long (over 8,500 words when the usual amount for this story is less than half of that), but then I was just like..._nah_. I kind of want to get to the scene in the prologue faster so I'm keeping this chapter whole! For those wondering, the next two or three chapters should be the last for the Sweet Arc, especially if they're as long as this one. Then the long-awaited Bittersweet Arc should come along. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this thing. Lol, despite its length, I actually had fun editing it. Mainly because I know how shitty everything is going to become for Nalu when this arc ends kukukuku. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. I'm surprised you're all even still coming here XD.

(if there are any mistakes, blame the fact that school isn't in session and I forgot how to English)

Also, I was just looking back at my old reviews for this story and omfg look at what I found: "You updated so fast! You deserve an award *Hands you a golden trophy like the people on le oscars*" LIKE DAMN. REMEMBER WHEN I DID THAT (updated in a timely fashion, I mean)? My award has probably been revoked by now lol. I'm sorry _NaLu x Buckets_. I love you ;o;

Anyways, until next time, everyone! Stay tuned for chapter five and review if you wanna!

_chu~_


	6. chapter five : marshmallows

**Disclaimer**—I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Fandoms of Fanfiction. And to the lawyers for which law stands: one franchise, I'm under oath with a lack of invisibility with...wait—okay, I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters included in said anime-package. Please, don't sue me.

* * *

.

In this black and white world  
You were the one ray of light

(Rain by Taeyeon)

.

|_September 9th, 2005 _—_ Southgate Park_|

"And that one is Aquarius." Lucy pointed towards the blackened sky, eyes wide with wonder as her fingertips traced glowing stars. "Do you see it?"

Lying beside her, Natsu scoffed and rolled his eyes. "All I see are a bunch of dots," he grumbled.

"No, no. You're not looking hard enough." She abruptly sat up, loose grass and flower petals flying from her hair as she pulled a huffing Natsu along with her. "Look closely. See that one bright star? That's Sadalsuud. Now just...follow the ones surrounding it. It makes a pattern, see?"

Natsu hummed, squinting with furrowed brows and a scrunched nose. Lucy had a goofy grin on her face as she waited for his reaction. And after a few moments, he finally sighed, "yeah, I still don't see nothin'." Lucy's smile instantly deflated into a pout. "That so-called _pattern_ looks just like all the other ones you've showed me."

"Oh, you've got the be kidding me!" Lucy exclaimed. She grabbed Natsu by his chin, squishing his cheeks in her grip as she jerked his head upwards. She jabbed a finger towards the sky. "How can you not see it? Keep looking!"

"Okay okay, I see it! Now let go," he managed to say, and Lucy begrudgingly released him. Natsu rubbed the dull ache out of his cheeks, briefly glaring at his pajama-clad friend (she stuck her tongue out at him in response) before looking back up at the ancient—really stupid, if you asked him—constellation. "I mean...I _can_ see it," he admitted slowly, "but I still don't know what it's supposed to be. Honestly, it looks like a deformed stick-man failing to walk."

The blonde blinked, glancing back and forth between Aquarius and a resolute Natsu. "Um," she tilted her head to the side before eventually nodding, "I...guess I see what you mean."

"And that other one from earlier, what was it? Pisces?" He pointed at a random cluster of stars in the sky and Lucy patiently tugged his hand towards the correct spot. "That one looks like two balloons, but like...one is in the middle of popping. And that one," he focused on the right one that time, surprisingly, "the one you said was Cancer—it literally looks like an upside down Y that was written by a third-grader."

Lucy watched Natsu closely as he continued to accurately (albeit childishly) describe each of the many constellations she had shown him. And with every line of stars he'd come across, his stories behind their shapes would grow more and more bizarre. According to him, Leo was a renegade triangle that longed to be a hexagon. Capricorn was a mutant banana that was raised in the city sewers. And Scorpius was the celestial depiction of a vigilante snake delivering a deadly blow to the worm that killed its family.

Yes. They were all very..._him_.

"O-oh and um, that one! Cassiopeia?" Natsu peeked at Lucy to make sure he pronounced it correctly, and with her nod of confirmation, he went on with yet another narration. "Yeah, Cassiopeia. That one looks like a giant mountain that has arms, and he's really happy so he's waving them around all excitedly—you see it, right?" It was now Natsu's turn to grab Lucy by her cheeks (ah...karma), and he smiled mischievously as he guided her attention towards the five twinkling stars. "Look, he's saying hi to us, Luce!"

Lucy snorted, but waved back at the supposed mountain with Natsu anyways (though to a much less frantic degree). Although his way of stargazing wasn't exactly what she had expected (though what _had_ she expected? For him to bust out a pair of glasses and recount every constellations' history and meaning? Yeah, not likely), Lucy still couldn't find it within herself to be annoyed, or even disappointed.

"How's the weather up there!" Natsu laughed at his own joke, the sound loud and carefree and really all Lucy needed to know that, whatever the circumstance, if Natsu was happy, well then...she was happy too.

"I bet the temperature is out of this world," she soon added with a soft smile, and Natsu gasped.

He high-fived her, "oh, nice one, Luce!" and released that boisterous laugh of his once again.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh along with him (as ridiculous as the entire conversation was), and it was then she decided that, yes...

She was definitely happy.

.

|_September 18th, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

Natsu hated last-minute calls for missions.

He had been asleep (as all normal human beings should be at three in the morning on a weekend) when that annoying alarm Gajeel had been ordered to install in everyone's rooms started to blare. It was such an annoying sound—near deafening and shrill and something no one should have to wake up to—and Natsu found himself spewing every single curse word he knew as he tore himself out of bed.

His movements were robotic, his face expressionless as he quickly changed his clothes and left his bedroom. As expected, he was the first to step out into the hallway, meaning he was most likely the first one to wake up, meaning he was just way too used to this bullshit. After a few moments, Gray and Loke finally scrambled out of their respective bedrooms, Gajeel (that tech bastard) not too far behind, with Alzack being the last to arrive seconds later. While Natsu stood tall, arms folded behind his back and shoulders squared (just as his father had drilled into him), the others were hardly awake—slouched, rocking back and forth, and only two seconds away from falling back asleep right then and there.

Natsu shook his head. It seemed no matter how many days, no matter how many _years_ had passed with this same routine, they would never be able to adapt to _all_ of his father's outlandish demands.

Natsu didn't know whether or not he should be proud or angry that he'd had a ten-year head start on them.

"Good morning, boys." And here he came, the head man himself, still dressed in the crisp tailored suit from the night before as if he had never slept at all (and knowing him, he most likely hadn't). He approached them slowly, dark green eyes scrutinizing the line of young men. All of them were now upright and attentive, backs straight and eyes focused on the wall ahead of them. It was almost funny, Natsu mused, watching as his comrades suddenly got into their proper positions once they heard his father's voice. They clearly didn't want to be punished for their lax postures, because no one _ever_ wanted a punishment from the so-called "Underground Dragon."

Igneel Dragneel. Probably the biggest dickhead in the world besides Jude Heartphilia, in Natsu's eyes.

And he just _had_ to be born his son. Lucky him.

"There seems to be a...problem at our southern headquarters." The smallest of frowns tugged at Igneel's lips as he announced this, something that no one but Natsu would have noticed on the older man's generally stoic face. "I want the five of you to go down there and fix it." And by fix, he meant repair whatever damages were made (both monetary and physical) and kill everyone who was in charge.

Natsu already knew who the sub-leader of the southern headquarters was: Bickslow Freeman, a man who had been working for his father for nearly two decades. It was shame that they'd have to lose such a loyal man to a mistake that was probably minuscule and easily manageable. But alas, they weren't the notorious _Dragneel Family_ because they were merciful.

No...even if it was human nature, to err was to die here, and that would surely happen to Bickslow and his men now that Igneel caught wind of their screw-up, whatever it was.

A heavy palm landed on Natsu's shoulder and his body stiffened. His father was right beside him, giving him a look that he knew all too well. "You will lead this mission, Natsu." His voice was low, but still spine-chillingly intimidating. Natsu didn't dare look Igneel in the eye as he nodded. "Good. Don't disappoint me." There was an unspoken _again_, and Natsu's fists clenched at his sides as he father retreated.

No, he couldn't disappoint him again. Because, even if Igneel was a record-breaking prick, he was still his father, and Natsu refused to be anything but a loyal son to him. That was his duty, wasn't it? Filial piety, or whatever the fuck—it meant that he was _supposed_ to obey his father's commands. Admittedly, saving Lucy had been an impulsive action of his, something he hadn't bothered to think through, and Natsu was more than surprised he had somewhat gotten away with it. When he had returned that fateful evening, hours after he had dropped Lucy off a block away from her father's office, he was warmly greeted by a slap in the face from Mira and angry stares from everyone else. They had all (including himself) expected his father to deal with him in one of his infamous ways, but imagine their shock when Igneel merely snorted at the sight of him and hummed a deep _interesting_.

That reaction was probably more scary than anything Natsu thought his father had planned for him. It didn't stop the teen from sneaking off to spend time with Lucy afterwards though. He was sure that simply _talking _to her wasn't breaking any rules. And if he kept her out of harm's way (from his family, more specifically), he wouldn't have to piss everyone off by saving her again. It was simple. He just had to be careful.

Whether he wanted to accept it or not, Lucy was becoming the world to him. And if he had to choose between her and his father...

Well, he really didn't want it to come down to that.

.

|_October__ 10th, 2005 _—_ Heartphilia Manor_|

"Oh my god, you're not supposed to smash the egg onto the counter!"

Natsu batted his eyelashes innocently and raised his yolk-sodden hands. "Oops?"

Lucy rushed over to him, muttering this and that under her breath as she took his palms in hers and led him towards the sink. "Silly, you're supposed to crack them gently," she instructed with a light scolding tone as she rinsed his hands off. "That way, you won't leave a mess behind."

The pinkette smirked, one eyebrow raised. "Since when did you become the cooking expert?"

"Since I started cooking you meals every other day," she answered simply and Natsu pursed his lips. "Now, come on. Since egg duty is apparently too much for you, you can be on stirring duty instead."

"Stirring? I like stirring!"

"I can tell," Lucy giggled as Natsu began to bounce in the old slippers she'd given him. "Follow me. If you can stir batter just as well as you stir up trouble, I'm sure we'll have the best cupcakes ever made."

A thoughtful look appeared on Natsu's face while Lucy pulled him towards another (much cleaner) counter. "Uh, should I feel insulted or complimented by that?"

"Neither. Just get to work," she ordered and Natsu gave her a salute.

"Sir, yes sir—I mean, ma'am. Sir, yes ma'am. Wait no."

"That bowl isn't going to stir itself!" Lucy chirped and Natsu quickly got down to business. He cracked his knuckles and his neck, stretched his arms, slapped his face, and narrowed his eyes at the bowl of lumpy batter before him.

"Cupcakes," he growled, "it's time to meet your maker. Or should I say..." he paused for dramatic effect, "_baker_."

Lucy merely watched him as he began to stir the seven hells out of the poor batter, bits of the concoction soaring across her miniature kitchen. She could only smile as he worked, her eyes glittering with amusement.

_Ah...how can I have a crush on such a weirdo?_

.

|_October 20__th, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

"What the hell is that?"

Natsu flinched at the sound of Cana's voice echoing straight into his unsuspecting ear. He quickly covered up the band-aid on his shoulder, shielding the white and light purple (_you mean_ _lavender_, Lucy had corrected. _No, I meant light purple_, Natsu had insisted) swirls from the drunken woman's sight.

But it was already too late.

"Dude, what are you wearing that thing for?" she elegantly slurred and rested her body against him. "It's so girly~"

The pinkette grumbled something Cana was too far gone to comprehend, and gently pushed her off of him. She simply flopped right back. "It was the only one I could find," he eventually answered and prayed she would just leave him alone.

Of course she wouldn't though. She was Cana, and Cana could never just _leave people alone_—especially not when she was drunk out of her mind.

"Liar liar liar," she noisily sang, pinching his cheeks, and Natsu regretted ever leaving his room that morning. "We don't even have band-aids like that. Did you forget that I stock everything here~"

"No. I didn't," was all he said, and with that, led the stumbling woman to a nearby chair and sat her down.

He was about to walk away, more than ready to just drop the entire conversation, when she suddenly reached out for his arm. He stopped and she looked up at him through glazed eyes, her smile weird and almost creepy as she whispered, "did a girl give that to you?"

"You're drunk, Cana."

"Drunk. Not blind."

Natsu glared at her, snatching his arm away. "Drop it," he said gruffly.

And Cana let him go, smirking now in an all too knowing way. She leaned back in her chair, still eyeing him with crossed arms. "As you command, sir."

.

|_November 11__th, 2005 _—_ Tenrou Academy_|

A hand gently tapped her shoulder and Lucy turned around, coming face to face with the bored eyes of her class' vice-president, Juvia Lockser. "Are you Luigi?" the blue-haired girl asked, and Lucy gave her a strange look.

Juvia was a very..._off_ kid, if Lucy were to put it lightly. She would often be found talking to herself (or to the Tamagotchi she kept hidden in her uniform pocket), and whenever she was forced to interact with other students, she'd always look as if she were on the verge of tears—like it physically _hurt_ her to be around others.

How she became vice-president was still a mystery to everyone in the class, but Lucy didn't mind working with her. As class president (yes, bask in her awesomeness), it was her job to accept every and all students for who they were. So filing documents, decorating hallways, and cleaning classrooms: those basic student body tasks were easy to do with the constantly brooding teen.

But actually _talking_ to her...well, that was a completely foreign experience.

So yes. This sudden confrontation was a little uncomfortable. And perhaps it showed on her face, because before Lucy could shake her head _no_, say that Juvia had probably mistaken her for someone else, the girl continued, almost impatiently, "whatever. Your boyfriend told me to call you over," and she pointed to a nearby window.

Lucy nearly choked on air when she saw the burst of pink and flailing arms standing beyond the glass panes. She hurriedly thanked Juvia (who shrugged and briskly walked away) before speeding over to the window and the now dancing—"_Natsu_!" she whispered harshly and the boy simply smiled. She scowled at him and motioned towards the working students behind her. "Don't you know where this is? I'm in _school_! What are you doing here?"

"I'm bored. Let's go dye Happy's fur again," were his slightly muted words and Lucy shook her head at him.

With her hands on her hips, she said, "go do something else. I can't hang out with you right now."

"But why not?"

"B-because I'm busy, obviously!"

Natsu pressed his face against the window, softly killing her with a pair of wide puppy eyes. He bottom lip trembled. "Un-busy yourself, please?" he begged and Lucy had to shield her eyes away from his beseeching ones. "School is a waste of time anyways. You should drop out like I did."

"Um. I don't think so. Look," she held her wristwatch up for him to see, "it's almost dismissal. Just give me another hour, okay?"

"Sixty whole minutes?" Natsu slumped against the window, his nose and lips flattening against the glass. He looked downright silly. "Come _on_," he drawled, "just cut now. You can't possibly miss anything important."

"Natsu—"

"Just go with your boyfriend already." That same monotone voice from earlier reached Lucy's ears, and she spun around with a squeak. There was Juvia, her hands crossed and her face as expressionless as always. "I'll cover for you. Just go out the backdoor in the auditorium. I've done it tons of times and security has never caught me." The faintest of smiles graced her pale lips, and Lucy wondered why Juvia didn't do it more often. "Go on. Your little loverboy is waiting."

"He is _not_ my loverboy!" Lucy snapped with a blush and Juvia gave her a dull look. "O-okay, whatever. Thank you...I guess. I'll make this up to you on Monday."

"No need. He's smudging the windows with his face, so anything that'll make him leave is perfect for me."

"You're the best, random girl I don't know," Natsu cheered. Juvia just waved him off, though that wasn't enough to stop Natsu from clapping loudly and singing _For She's a Jolly Good Fellow_ at the top of his lungs. After singing it twice, running out of breath, and then singing it one last time (Juvia left sometime after his first note), he finally turned to Lucy. "Why are you still here? Let's go! I'll meet you by that backdoor!"

"Don't rush me! You're making me into a delinquent!" she barked at his retreating form. She watched as he rounded the building's corner, a skip in his step, and Lucy heaved a sigh. "Ugh, what am I going to do with him?"

.

|_November 22nd__, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

Gajeel peeked over Levy's shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the basket she was currently packing. A blanket, bottles of water, bags of chips, and other typical picnic snacks that he was beyond sure Levy didn't even like. Strange. He poked her side, "what are you doing?"

Levy yelped, slamming the picnic basket shut before whirling around to face the burly teen. "U-um," she stammered, "just...you know. Nothing much."

He was not convinced. "Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"Er...maybe? Maybe not. Who knows? I'm just saving this for a random day. Because, uhh, you know how I like to sometimes just go out for picnics, right? Yeah, that's what this is for." She waved towards the basket, her laugh high-pitched and all over the place as she then tried pushing Gajeel out of her room.

As she expected, he didn't move an inch. Curse his giant body and her frail little arms. "So you're going to picnic...in November?"

She nodded. "Yes. Definitely. Don't judge me."

"It's kind of hard to believe you when you don't even like to go outside."

Levy covered her face in embarrassment, releasing a long sigh. "I am awful at lying to you," she grumbled.

"You're awful at lying in general. Now tell me what you're _really_ doing."

She looked at him then, bottom lip protruding in a cute way she knew was hard to resist. "Can't you just pretend you never saw that?"

Gajeel was unaffected, the heartless brute. He simply folded his arms and said with a mocking tone, "you're just making me want to know more, shrimp."

"Okay fine!" she exclaimed in frustration. She went back to the basket, not even bothering to hide anything as she resumed packing it with small treats. "It's for Natsu."

"Natsu?" That made things even stranger. "Why would he need something like that?"

"Lucy wanted to have one last picnic before the weather got too bad and I—"

"Who's Lucy?" Gajeel interrupted, racking his mind for why that name sounded so familiar.

Levy slapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no," came her muffled words. After a minute of her eyes bouncing anxiously around the room for a distraction of sorts (and finding absolutely none in her state of distress), she finally looked at Gajeel, hopeful. "I-I didn't say Lucy. You must've misheard me. I s-said...Juicy?"

But Gajeel was ignoring her, still caught up in his thoughts as he tried to tie that name to a face—Lucy Lucy Lucy, he _knew_ that name. He had to. She was...a part of some mission, wasn't she? But which one? It wasn't the Bickslow mission, was it? No, there hadn't been any females in the southern headquarters at that time. Their latest raid then? No, he hadn't known any of their names. So...when?

Could it have been...

Something clicked in Gajeel's head.

"No. _No_," he snarled. "The Heartphilia target? Natsu is still in contact with Jude's daughter?! **Levy**."

Levy ducked her head down. "Don't yell at me!" she squealed.

Gajeel grabbed her by her arm, roughly tugging her towards him. "Explain," he demanded and Levy shook in his hold.

_Add my big mouth to that Cursed list_, she miserably thought as she cleared her throat. "I-It..." her voice cracked, and she gulped, "it all started this past summer..."

.

|_December 1st, 2005 _—_ Heartfilia Manor_|

Her name was Jenny Realight. She was young, unrealistically beautiful, surprisingly smart, and was the absolute bane of Lucy's existence.

"I remember when I was your age," said woman crooned in that irritating voice of hers that just grated Lucy's ears. "I didn't like my dad's girlfriends either."

Lucy's eyes rolled as she began to stab her peas with a fork.

"And he had so many of them too. Like...there'd be at least three new women each month. It was hard learning all of their names and not accidentally mixing them up," Jenny continued with a giggle and Lucy silently jammed her fork into another defenseless pea. Jenny didn't seem to notice (for such a _perfect_ person, she was still somehow too dumb to realize that her presence was unwanted). "There was even one named Jennifer! And it would confuse the hell out of my brother and I whenever our dad would call her. But looking back, it was pretty funny. Even though Jenny was a huge bitch."

_So your name wasn't the only thing you two had in common, huh?_ Lucy thought with an inward smile.

"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, I get how you're feeling right now, Lu." Jenny reached over the dining table, resting her hand against Lucy's. However, the connection didn't last long. Lucy hastily pulled her hand away, as if burned by Jenny's touch. The slightly older woman actually looked hurt (not that Lucy cared) and she sighed, "I just really want us to be friends, Lu. I was friends with a few of my dad's girlfriends—like Melissa, and Ultear. They were absolute blasts to hang out with and that's the kind of relationship I want to have with you. Close friends, almost like sisters. Is that...okay?"

"No," was Lucy's immediate response. Jenny reared back in surprise as Lucy then stood from her chair. She dropped her fork onto her plate of unfinished food, frowning down at the woman who had invaded her home and sent her family to the pits. "If you think two months of wandering around this house and bugging me with your mindless conversations are enough to make me want to become _friends_ with you, then you are severely mistaken." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she planted her hands onto the table, leaning closely to Jenny's perfect and stupid and gorgeous downcast face. "I _hate_ you," she hissed, "and I will never forgive you for tearing my family apart. My father may think you're some angel, but pardon me for not being distracted by your tits like he is. _You_ made my parents divorce. _You_ made my mother leave. And _you_ made me feel like an outsider in my own home. So no. It's _not_ okay." Her back straightened, face contorting into a scowl, as she harshly added, "enjoy this while it lasts. My father will surely toss you aside soon, just like he did with my mother."

Jenny remained frozen in her seat as Lucy stormed out of the dining room, the air thick with tension as the doors slammed in her wake. The model flinched, squeezing her eyes shut. "Well fuck."

.

|_December 12th, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

**SENDING**

—

What r u doing this xmas?

—

To: luigi  
12/15/05 07:18 pm

.

**INBOX-OPEN**

—

Probably going to spend "quality time" w/ my dad &amp; his gf

—

From: luigi  
12/15/05 07:19 pm

Natsu gagged at Lucy's text. It had been four months since she had told him about the woman her father had been seeing for the past year, yet he still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that someone actually _wanted_ to be with a scumbag like Judy. The mistress, her name was Jenny, and she was hardly older than Lucy herself—maybe mid-twenties? Maybe even younger. She was a model, someone Natsu had surely seen on the covers of those magazines Loke liked to gawk at, and she seemed fairly nice from how Lucy described her. Annoying. Painfully air-headed. But still nice.

That didn't mean Lucy had to like her though. Especially since it was this "nice" woman that caused Lucy's mother to move out one day and disappear without a trace. The older Heartphilia woman had only left two envelopes behind, one addressed to Lucy and one addressed to Judy. While Luce had refused to open hers, Judy had practically torn his apart in all of his rage. And inside, much to Lucy's displeasure, was Layla's signed portion of their divorce documents.

So yeah. Jenny definitely wasn't a topic Lucy liked talking about.

**SENDING**

—

That sounds lame. U should skip out on that n chill with yours truly :D

—

To: luigi  
12/15/05 07:22 pm

.

**INBOX-OPEN**

—

I would but my dad would most likely explode. He's been rly grumpy w/ me lately. Trust me, I want to. But I can't :-(

—

From: luigi  
12/15/05 07:23 pm

Natsu frowned at his screen. Well, that certainly sucked...

**INBOX-OPEN**

—

That doesn't mean xmas eve isn't an option tho ;) pizza &amp; ice cream at northbelle bridge?

—

From: luigi  
12/15/05 07:23 pm

Oh, but trust Lucy to brighten up his mood in a matter of seconds. Natsu snickered to himself as he thought about how fun it would be to spend his Christmas Eve with Lucy. It had been a few days since they were last able to hang out, and it would probably be a little while longer until they actually could. Lucy was busy with studying for her final exams for the semester, and although something as trivial as that generally wouldn't stop Natsu, he was busy himself with his father's missions. A raid here, a delivery there. Not to mention all of the patrolling he had been forced to do lately to make up for his "error" from that passed summer. Christmas Eve seemed like the perfect day to finally reunite with his closest friend.

Besides, he had the absolute _best_ Christmas gift planned for her.

**SENDING**

—

Sounds awesome. Can't wait to finally see u, luce '3'

—

To: luigi  
12/15/05 07:26 pm

"Luce? Who's Luce?"

Natsu jumped out of his seat as Gray appeared behind him. He blanched, shoving his cellphone into his pocket as the black-haired teen eyed him curiously. "She's no one," he flatly replied.

And Gray sneered. "Don't be like that, boss. I know we aren't the closest of pals, but we're both guys, aren't we? Guys always talk about this stuff with one another. Now..." his lips twisted into a smirk, and before Natsu could even think about running away, the older male pounced. He tackled Natsu to the ground, and the two began wrestling over the beeping cellphone. "J-just—give me the stupid—give me the phone! Let me see it!"

"What the hell!" Natsu howled and accidentally elbowed Gray in his jaw. "Get off of me!"

Gray kneed Natsu in his ribs. "Who's Luce, huh?! Is she your girlfriend? You said you were gonna see her—what, you two going on a date?"

"Why are you reading my text messages?"

"Because I'm nosy! Now tell me!"

"I told you, she's _no one_!"

Really, Natsu didn't want things to get _too_ serious as he tried prying Gray off of him. The last time he had done so had been three years prior, when the two of them were fighting over the last brownie Mira had baked. It was stupid, Natsu had known that, but they were younger and clearly way more immature then, and the resulting fight had ended with Natsu sporting a black eye for three weeks and Gray in the hospital for one. While his father hadn't really minded (if anything, he looked somewhat proud), Mira was the one to berate them for their reckless behavior.

"We do _not_ fight our comrades," she'd harangued, "not when we're all we have."

A fourteen-year old Natsu hated to believe it, but Mira had been right. They _were_ all they had. Most of their family members were either dead, missing, in prison, or stationed in some distant part of the country. And being reminded of that fact, that they'd all be alone if not for each other—if not for this fucked up syndicate that his grandfather had constructed and his father fearlessly led—made Natsu swear to never fight seriously with his comrades.

...until now, that is.

He couldn't help it, really. Gray had still refused to lay off, in all of his playfulness. And he probably didn't mean to, but _god_ he was frustrating Natsu to hell, making him unbearably anxious because _no one_ was supposed to know about Lucy. So, in his fear of his secret being discovered, he did the only thing he could think of.

He punched Gray square in his face.

Gray reeled back in both shock and pain, staring at Natsu with eyes widened with disbelief. His hand slowly came up to his face as Natsu scooted away, and his fingers grazed against his nose. A thin line of blood dripped down. "Y-you..."

"She's no one," Natsu repeated, his voice becoming steel. He stood from the ground, making sure his phone was held tightly in his grip. He looked down at a stupefied Gray, guilt and regret briefly shaming him before he brushed the feelings aside. "Tell no one what you saw."

Gray could only glare at him, his nose throbbing and mouth smeared with blood. "As you command, sir."

.

|_December 13th, 2005 _—_ City Police Department_|

"Wakaba, status report."

The middle-aged secretary shuffled nervously through his paperwork, piles of folders and wrinkled files strewn across his small desk. Jude stood before him, quiet as the man struggled to find what he was looking for. Minutes passed before Wakaba let out a breath of relief, a torn piece of paper in his hands. He smiled as he read it aloud, "status report on the Dragneel case, seventh year. Um, Elfman Strauss is still detained, no answers have been given as of yet. So Dragneel headquarters location, unknown. Igneel Dragneel location, unknown. Natsu Dragneel location...well, we assume he's still in the downtown area."

Jude growled at that and Wakaba jumped in his seat.

"U-um," he shakily continued, "no...no sightings have been reported. There have been a string of gang violence reports and drug cases though, and we think it could be tied to them. We recently arrested someone from another syndicate, a young kid named Rogue Cheney. We're still questioning him, but uh, we strongly believe he has information on the Dragneels."

"And that's all?" Jude asked with a tight frown. Wakaba nodded, fidgeting. "And what of my latest plan to draw them out? Has it been approved yet?"

Wakaba remained silent. He looked down, eyes wary and fingers wringing together. "About that," he choked out, "the higher-ups...they don't like it. It's—"

"Illegal, I know." Jude stepped closer towards his desk and the quivering secretary seated behind it. He looked down at him. "It's morally wrong, I know." He lowered his glasses, revealing blank and cold eyes. "But _I don't care_."

"Mr. H-Heartphilia..."

Jude held up his hand, instantly silencing Wakaba's imminent blubbering. He glowered as he viciously declared, "I will do _whatever_ it takes to destroy those bastards. And you," he leered at his secretary, almost sickeningly so, "you will do whatever it takes to make that possible."

.

|_December 14th, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

"Damn Fullbuster, did you walk into a titanium doorknob or something?" There were many people Gray did not want to see so early in the morning, and Gajeel was definitely one of them. The technician looked ready to crack another joke (or two, or three), and Gray wished his body didn't ache as much as it did so he could punch that smirk right off of his heavily pierced face.

"If _titanium doorknob_ is a code-word for our dear boss, then yes. Yes I did."

Gajeel's eyes widened, all looks of jest disappearing from his face in a flash. "No way."

"Yes way," the teen snapped and brushed his fingers against the bandage Mirajane had taped there that morning. "I saw something on his phone that I guess I shouldn't have and he almost popped me a new nostril because of it."

Gajeel shook his head. "No, Natsu wouldn't do something that reckless. Maybe a few years ago, yeah. But _now_? When his dad's training him to be heir? That's impossible."

"Well, consider it possible, buddy. My poor nose is proof."

"There had to be more to it than that," he huffed disbelievingly. "Natsu doesn't just _punch_ his comrades. He's a little wild on the field, but with us, he's like...an emotionless rock. What did you do, idiot?"

Gray looked positively appalled. "What did _I _do?" he practically screeched, his voice echoing off of metal walls. "All I did was ask him about some girl he was texting! I mean really, Natsu—_the _Natsu Dragneel—texting a _girl_. That was something I seriously had to figure out! And so what, I was little too pushy. He didn't have to fucking _punch_ me over it!"

"Wait...a girl?" Gajeel's mind flashed back to the conversation he'd had with Levy all those weeks ago, and his body became rigid. "You don't mean Lucy, do you?"

"You know about her?"

Gajeel hands fumbled in his pockets, and he looked away from Gray's suspecting eyes. "I...yeah. Levy told me about her."

"Well," Gray pried impatiently, "what else did she tell you?"

"Look, I don't think I'm supposed to be telling you this, man. It's not my business and it sure as hell isn't yours."

"I think I deserve to know who the reason behind Natsu's sudden assault on my face is, Redfox," Gray barked and pointed at his nose for emphasis. "Now spill."

Gajeel exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," he grunted and glanced around the hallway. It was clear, he noted thankfully, no one was in sight. He turned his attention back onto Gray, face grim as he whispered, "this remains a secret, Fullbuster. Got it?"

Gray merely raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and agreed nonetheless. "Got it."

.

|_December 23rd, 2005 _—_ Heartphilia Manor_|

Sometimes Lucy wondered why she even bothered having dinner with her father. It was always a tiring experience, always quiet and weird, and it never ended well. After her mother left, things were never the same. She no longer looked forward to seeing her father come home from work after weeks of no contact. She no longer wished for her mother to return, re-marry Jude, and live happily ever after like she had dreamed for night's on end.

No, not anymore. If anything, Lucy was happy when her father stayed away. She was relieved that, whenever the sun set, it just meant another day had passed where her mother didn't have to suffer living in this suffocating house any longer. Yes, things were different now—_she _was different now. And she refused to look back at how happy she had once been: half-way across the world for ten years, naïve, foolish, _blind_.

Not even marathoning all of the Lion King movies could make her smile these days and, believe it or not, that was certainly saying something.

"And so she said, if you don't like my clothing line, then find a new designer. And that's when I knew Evergreen would be my best friend for like, ever." Jenny wasn't making things any better.

The model had grown more brazen as of late. For some reason (one that Lucy just could not figure out for the life of her), Jenny thought it was appropriate to actually order her to wash her father's laundry. _I would ask the maids, but it's their vacation time. Plus,__ my fingers might prune, and I can't have that,_ were her excuses and Lucy would've thrown Jude's clothes right into her face had the man not been standing right there. Knowing how pissy her father got whenever she shamelessly showcased her distaste for his new taste in women (he'd actually scolded her a few times over it), Lucy reluctantly obeyed, shooting the back of Jenny's head the deadliest of looks she could muster.

That had only been the first time.

The following day, Jenny had approached her again. _Lu, can you go out and buy me food? There is absolutely nothing filling that's gluten-free in this house_. And her father had said nothing. He'd looked at her expectantly, as if forcing her to do as Jenny had asked with just his eyes alone, and Lucy wanted to throttle her.

_Lu, there's a giant bug in the trash! Come and kill it_!

Lucy wanted to rip her hair out.

_Lu, can I borrow this shirt? It looks like it'd be just my style._

Lucy wanted to break every bone in this obnoxious woman's body.

"Lu, guess who's going to be your new mom?" Jenny stretched her hand out, cooing at the shining glare of her ring.

Lucy just wanted to cry.

.

|_December 23rd, 2005 _—_ Warehouse J_|

If there was anything Natsu hated more than last-minute calls for missions, it was having private meetings with his father. It was fine seeing his father while being surrounded by his comrades, watching his work from afar. But when they were like this—alone, behind close doors, and with a palpable silence between them—their strained, practically non-existent, relationship just became all the more obvious to him. And, although Natsu would never admit this, meetings with his father always left a sour taste in his mouth. It made his heart hurt, it made his eyes sting, and it made him wish his mother was still around.

At least then his father's blatant disregard of him would be less painful. Even by just a little.

"You've grown, Natsu." He always started these conversations like that, with something any other father would say with affection and _not_ a belittling smirk. Natsu nodded, trained well enough to not reveal his emotions to the man seated before him. "I saw what you did to that Fullbuster boy. Mind telling me what brought it on?"

Natsu stayed quiet, keeping his lips sealed shut as he trained his eyes solely on the daunting red of his father's carpet.

Igneel didn't seem to mind though. If anything, he seemed amused by Natsu's response (or lack thereof). "You know," he began, "when my father was the leader of this family, he told me something that I will never forget: _the walls not only have eyes, but they have ears and mouths as well. So beware of what secrets you spill, beware of what stories you tell, because not even the quietest of whispers will go unheard_. Of course, he was senile by that point, so I didn't think much of what he'd said. But now...I understand him perfectly." Igneel cradled his head in his palm, staring at Natsu with those same eyes Cana had given him before. God, Natsu hated those eyes. They held something within them that made his stomach churn. As if their owners were above him in all aspects. As if they knew something he didn't.

Natsu gulped.

"Yes, you've surely grown, my son," the man continued and a chill shook Natsu's body to its very core.

_My son_.

Igneel Dragneel never, not once since he was a child, called him that.

"I have another mission for you." He suddenly sat up in his chair, pulling a large envelope out of one of his desk drawers. He held it out to Natsu, waiting calmly for the boy to approach. "And it seems it's one you've already begun on your own."

.

|_December 24th, 2005 _—_ Northbelle Bridge_|

Hours had passed as Lucy waited for Natsu to arrive. The first had been spent preparing for a fleet of rocks to crash into her window. When that didn't happen, the next was spent scanning the bushes of her mother's hibiscuses (ones that had long since died) for his signature pink hair. She had waited calmly, sitting on her windowsill with her knees to her chest as time went by. She had waited and waited and waited until the moon was high in the sky, until everyone in her house was asleep, until the pizza grew cold and the ice cream melted, and waited until it was already midnight on Christmas day.

Even then, Natsu never came.

If this had been the Lucy of months past, she would have undoubtedly been sad. She would've given up on ever seeing Natsu that night, and would've buried herself in a heap of covers and pillows. She might've cried. Might've pounded her chest to dispel the aching hollowness that was sure to be there. But this _wasn't_ that Lucy. This was the Lucy who _knew_ Natsu Dragneel. She knew he would never just _not_ show up, not after he'd promised he would. In the half-year she had known him, Lucy quickly realized that Natsu made it his mission to always be there when she needed him. He kept his promises, he always did. So for him to not be outside of her window, for him to not _be there_ wasn't anything she should cry over.

Really, it was something she should worry about.

And as she crept through her house, cautiously closing the doors that led her outside, she knew that something was wrong. She was sure he didn't forget their plans, he never _ever_ did. He wasn't ignoring her either because, according to him, he'd rather let Happy tear his face apart than do that.

Lucy easily climbed over the main gates, face determined.

Yes, something _had_ to be wrong.

She practically ran to the bridge they agreed to meet on, out of breath and wheezing by the time she stumbled to the highest point. And there, standing against the railing with sad eyes gazing at the constellations in the sky, was Natsu. He was here. He was _here_ and Lucy's heart soared. "Natsu?" she called out and walked towards him. "Natsu, what happened? I thought you were going to—"

"Lucy." It was as if he had just noticed her, as if she had snapped him out of some trance and he was only now coming back to reality. He looked at her with those unusually sad eyes, his lips trembling their way into a semblance of a disarming smile. He was in front of her in seconds, arms spreading wide as he enveloped her into his hold. "_Lucy_..."

"N-Natsu, what's wrong? Are you all right?" She scrambled to push him away, to get a clear look at his face, and figure out what was going on. "You're worrying me, Natsu." She slowly wrapped her arms around him. "This is the first time we're meeting like this, without you having to pick me up, I mean. Did something happen?"

"Wait, you're not hurt, are you?" It was almost like he hadn't even heard her. He pulled back, scanning her body closely. And when he realized she was unharmed, he visibly slackened, his face relaxing and his smile finally becoming genuine. "Fuck, I've missed you."

She didn't acknowledge his first question, figuring it was just him being a worrywart. Instead, she chuckled, "yeah, I know," and brought her arms up to hang loosely around his neck. His hands settled on her waist in return, holding her close. "You scared me for a second there," she admonished. "First, not showing up to my window, then acting all strange as soon as I see you. Is everything okay?"

"I..." he paused, not knowing what to say.

And Lucy noticed that. Noticed the way his eyes took on that sad gleam once again, the way he bit his lip in worry, and refused to look at her. "Something _is_ wrong," she breathed. "What is it? Tell me."

"N-no, it's nothing. I'm just..."

Lucy frowned, hands now cupping Natsu's face to bring his eyes down to hers. He hesitantly met her gaze. "Tell me," she said again, voice nothing more than a whisper.

His voice shook, uncontrollably so, as he whispered back, "he knows. My father..._he_ _knows_."

The blonde didn't need to know anything else. She gasped, eyes blinking rapidly as she struggled to find the right words. "I-it's..." she inhaled, "it's okay. It's going to be okay, Natsu. _We're_ going to be okay." A lie, but she didn't know what else to say. God, she just didn't know.

Natsu recoiled from the warmth of her hands. "No it isn't. Don't say that because it _isn't_, Luce!" He shrank away from her entire body then, withdrawing one faltering step at a time. "Do you know what he told me last night? Besides the fact that he's known about us for _months_ now?!"

Whatever comforting words Lucy wanted to say stopped in her throat, nearly choking her as an onslaught of tears threatened to fall. She stretched out her hand, grabbing him by his jacket and bringing him back to her. Silently, she shook her head as he went on, refusing to believe him.

"He wants me to kill you, Luce!" he shouted at her, pushing himself away again. He gripped her shoulders tightly, shaking her. "He wants me to keep making you feel safe around me, t-to protect you. And whenever he commands it, kill you! He wants me to _kill you_!" He was near hysterical by this point, looking at her with eyes blown with _so much fear_. "It's not going to be okay, Luce. He couldn't get you before so now he's using me to do it—his own son. He wants _his own son_ to kill the only person he's ever cared about and..." He froze and Lucy never knew that someone could look so painfully torn. "You're just to important to me, Lucy."

Her chest tightened. "Natsu..."

But he wasn't finished. It was like a dam had been broken within him and out came everything he had kept bottled up inside him for much too long. His grip had loosened on her shoulders, and he gently pressed his forehead against hers. "Never in my life have I ever disobeyed my father," he started, puffs of winter air ghosting past his lips, "until I met you. I hadn't gone to an amusement park or the beach since I was a child, until I met you. I never spent hours at an arcade, I never sat in a library just to watch someone else read, I never took time out to sit in the park and watch the sun rise, _until I met you_. You...you're the first person I've ever wanted to protect, the first person who's ever trusted me, who's ever treated me as their equal, and Lucy..." her body shivered at how softly he called her name, "you're the first person I've ever _loved_."

Lucy wanted to blame the weather for the blush that exploded across her face at his words, she really did. She could only stand there, body stiff and mind running at a mile a minute (was this happening? was this really happening? no, this couldn't be happening. but wait, it was happening. oh god, it _was_ happening), and Natsu seemed to study her as she internally screamed for her body to _do something_. His fingers were cold as they slowly, oh so slowly, grazed her cheeks, tracing the contours of her face with such delicateness that Lucy finally broke out of her stupor.

She whimpered something unintelligible (his name or a confession of her own, she didn't even know herself) before throwing her arms around him, fingers tangling themselves in his hair. She could feel his smile against her temple, and her tears finally fell as his own arms tightened around her.

"It won't be okay," he whispered and she buried her face into his chest. "Things will never be the same after tonight. _This_ will never be the same," he held her body closer, "so let's just leave."

Lucy peered up at him with wet and curious eyes. "W-what...do you mean?" she croaked.

He couldn't possibly mean...

"Run away with me, Lucy." Oh, that was definitely what he meant. Lucy looked at Natsu as if he had grown another head. "Let's run away and never look back."

.

.

一━══┳┻︻ **To Be Continued **︻┻┳══━一

* * *

**_Author's Note_**: Well, this was unexpected. Another long chapter, this one being over 8,750...jeez. What am I doing? I guess chapters full of drabbles are easier to write? I should've done this much sooner then lol. Anyways, here's the plan: the next chapter will be an interlude of sorts, and after that there's only one more chapter left of this arc! It'll be the final fluff-fest before the storm comes because that's how I roll. Pray4Nalu2k16! Until next time, folks!

Also, just a heads up: "Heartfilia Manor" and "Heartfilia Estate" are the same place. I just suck at being consistent. Double also, I'm writing the next chapter for KMKM now, so if any of you are waiting for that, you won't have to wait much longer. Hurray?

Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter and review if you wanna!

_chu~_


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